Building on former WCC campus slated for demolition this month
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 20, 2007 2:15 PM
The old Wayne Community College administration building on U.S. 70 bypass is coming down.
The property is owned by the state Eastern Region Vocational Rehabilitation Facility, which bought it in 1999. Demolition of the building started this month and is expected to be complete by mid-July.
Tim Goodson, director of facility, said the work is being paid for by state and federal dollars.
Only the administration building will be torn down, he said. Plans call for the building to be leveled and then a landscape architect provided by the Department of Health and Human Services will complete the project, converting the property into a grounds maintenance training area for clients.
"We want it to be aesthetically pleasing to the community and for those clients from the grounds maintenance program provided through Wayne Community College," he said.
Vocational Rehabilitation is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, which provides services to people with physical and mental disabilities and helps them become job ready.
Goodson said further improvements to the property are planned, including painting and upkeep of the other buildings VR occupies.
"The 'B' buildings, we have added a long breezeway to connect them. We also have a two-story building. ... We plan to do some further rehabilitation to that," he said.
In the coming months, the transformation is expected to not only improve external appearances, but renew pride from the surrounding community, Goodson said. That has already happened for those who utilize the services, he noted.
"We're really proud of a couple of things -- our small corner of Goldsboro is home, we love it here. And we're proud to have helped a lot of Wayne County folks secure work," he said.
"We want to be good neighbors and we want to be here a long, long time."
The former campus was in operation from 1960 until 1978, when the school moved to its new campus on Wayne Memorial Drive. Over the years, the once-vibrant property, which sits on a 13.5 acre tract of land, has shown a marked decline.
"We, too, agree that that building's an eyesore," Goodson said.