Residents can tour new city building soon
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on January 30, 2006 1:54 PM
Residents could soon get a chance to see where some of last year's tax dollars were spent downtown.
City officials said they hope to open Goldsboro's new City Hall for public tours as soon as the work is finished in late February.
At their Jan. 9 meeting, councilmen said they want to give city residents a chance to walk through the building before staff moves in -- once it's furnished and all the detail work is completed.
"Once we get a little closer to the opening, we need to set up a time for the public to see this beautiful place," Mayor Al King said earlier this month. "After all, it's their building."
Residents who drive down Center Street after the sun goes down will notice lights on in and around the $4.5 million facility. The ceilings have been finished, walls are up and paint has been applied. Now, a few finishing touches, a good cleaning and furnishing the 32,000-square-foot building are the only steps left, city officials said.
"This building is gonna be the pride of downtown," King said. "It's really something special."
Completion of the building will come a little more than a year after officials broke ground at the site.
D.S. Simmons began construction last January as part of a three-phase project. The next phase, expected to begin later this year, involves the renovation of the existing City Hall. During renovations, City Council meetings will be held off-site.