Wayne County Agricultural and Convention Center: The plans
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 25, 2015 1:50 AM
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This architectural rendering shows what the proposed new Wayne County Agricultural and Convention Center is expected to look like. It will be located on North Wayne Memorial Drive just north of Wayne Community College.
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This architectural rendering shows the general site layout for the proposed new Wayne County Agricultural and Convention Center on Wayne Memorial Drive that is at the top of the rendering. The larger area is the assembly hall and the smaller area will house offices and classrooms.
Planning for Wayne County's proposed $16 million agricultural and convention center has reached the stage where a decision on how to proceed will be needed by the end of the year.
The county has received the project renderings representing the first 35 percent of the plans from architect Kristen M. Hess of HH Architecture of Raleigh.
"We are at the point now that we have to make the decision do we go design/build or go the regular traditional design, bid, build and keep the architect?" Wayne County Commissioner Bill Pate said. "Those are the decisions we are getting ready to start to make. I am hoping we will have those decisions made -- and these timetables move a little bit -- before the end of the year.
"It will take the architect, if we keep the same one, probably five months to finish the design. Then you have to bid it out so you are talking breaking ground in July maybe."
Pate is chairman of the county commission's Agriculture Advisory Committee.
Commissioners' approval last week of a countywide 1 percent hotel occupancy tax was a big factor in ensuring the project continues to move forward, Pate said.
"In today's dollars, for 20 years it is $200,000 (annually)," he said. "After 20 years, it drops back, but your tax base will grow so it is hard to say how much money it is. (County Manager) George (Wood) is estimating $2 million, and we already have (appropriated) $4 million setting out there."
The hotel tax revenue puts the county in a position of being able to borrow at least $2 million -- in effect giving the county $6 million to put toward the center.
But revenue from the 1 percent is earmarked for promoting travel and tourism only.
The $200,000 Pate referred to will come from Goldsboro's 5 percent hotel occupancy tax as part of an agreement between the city and county.
"Of course we are doing some private fundraising," Pate said. "We are not ready to come out yet with anything. But we are optimistic. We have a lot of solid support."
The initial renderings were important to have something "to get out in front" of potential donors and show them, Pate said.
One "very important" presentation already has been made, he said.
Pate said he could not comment further.
The drawings have Wayne County Regional Agricultural Center in large letters on the front of the building, but that might change depending on how successful selling naming rights goes.
Convergent Nonprofit Solutions is conducting a fundraising campaign for the project, and Commissioners Ed Cromartie and John Bell will lobby U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield about possible federal funding for the project
The center will be located on a 12-acre site on North Wayne Memorial Drive just north of Wayne Community College.
The city of Goldsboro is providing for the project as part of its agreement with the county.
An adjoining city-owned six acres remains as the site for a possible hotel.
The rendering show three access points to the center, from Wayne Memorial Drive, New Hope Road and through Wayne Community College.
"The building is turned (angled) like it is because of the way the sun is," Pate said. "We are trying to save money because it has a lot of glass. The architect when ahead and conceptually drew where a hotel would be and restaurants.
"Of course the city still owns that so we are not sure what they will do, but we would hope they would tie it in to the convention center."
Most of the parking is in the back and there is a large courtyard.
"I even had the architect put some corn back over here (near the courtyard)," Pate said. "I said this thing needs to be an agricultural center. Have you ever been to the Museum of History in Raleigh? Beside it they have corn, tobacco. We have got to have the same kind of thing here."
The assembly hall is designed to accommodate 840 people when set up banquet style and 1,554 for assembly seating.
The county is discussing with the fire marshal if a few more people could be in there, Pate said.
The assembly hall also can be broken into four rooms of different sizes to accommodate crowds of 190, 210, 380 and 494 respectively.
When set up as a trade show layout using 10-by-10-foot booths, it can hold 70 booths with 10-foot aisles. Using 8 by 8 foots booths, it can hold 105 booths with 9.6-foot aisles.
A large enough doorway area will allow cars, boats other large vehicles to be driven into the assembly area for a trade show.
The building includes several offices, classrooms and a large spacious lobby.
The center will house the Cooperative Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Wayne County Soil and Water.
"We wanted it to be an agricultural-convention center, but it has to serve a dual purpose," Pate said. "It's got to be a convention center, too. Remember ag always gets first shot at everything, but it won't always be ag events inside of there."