Ag center personnel a concern
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 29, 2016 10:05 AM
The $20 million Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention is attracting attention even though it isn't expected to open until March 1, 2018.
But while that is encouraging, Wayne County commissioners are concerned that the county is behind the curve in hiring a director to book events at the center.
Those booking should start two years out, commission Chairman Bill Pate said.
The county has advertised for a director, but has yet to start interviewing.
"We need to get started on that and get that person on board as soon as possible," Pate said. "Most start out booking two years in advance. So we are a little bit behind already because we don't want a big goose egg of (no) money coming in to pay the bills when we get this thing finished in March of '18. We want people booked already to go in there.
"The tourism folks have helped some already because they have gone to some shows, and there is already interest in it in (events) coming here. But we can't really book it until we get that person in place."
The county will also hire an operations manager who will oversee the day-to-day operation of the center.
"We don't need that person because we won't have a center that needs to be looked after," Pate said. (Extension Service) Kevin (Johnson) can't do that (booking) job. He has a full-time job running Cooperative Extension."
The hope is to have a director by February, Pate said.
"(County Manager) George (Wood) will station them somewhere in an office until such time there is an office out there," he said.
But even without a permanent office, the director would be working to book events so the county can begin brining in revenue as soon as the center opens, Pate said.
"I know Ashlin (Glatthar, Goldsboro travel and tourism director) talked to a table tennis group that said they could bring in 30,000 people to a tournament," Pate said. "That was just an example. She had talked to somebody because she called and asked how high the ceiling was going to be."
Groundbreaking for the center, located on North Wayne Memorial Drive adjacent to Wayne Community College, was held July 16.
The project is on schedule and T.A. Loving Co., the construction manager at risk, has saved "right at $800,000" by re-negotiating some of the contractors, Pate said.
"Which is what a construction manager at risk is supposed to do," he said. "All of the contracts have been let. Everything is on schedule. It is going to cost a little more because building costs have gone up -- about nine percent since we originally thought."
The project had been expected to cost $18 million.
"But once you get into the soft costs and all of that it will push it closer to $20 (million)," Pate said. "The construction part probably will stay around that ($18 million). But you have got to bring in furniture and all of that kind of stuff, too.
"They have done a lot of work out there. They have already poured the pad for the ag offices. The road itself, they have already put down one layer of asphalt so they will be able to get in and out of there the entire winter time. You are going to be able to see some steel going up pretty soon."
T.A. Loving has placed a time-lapse camera on the site.
"It is not that exciting right now, but once things start going up it will be," Pate said. "But we had asked for that early on because we thought that was a good way to cover it so everybody could see what's happening."
Go to the county website, waynegov.com, and click on the link for the "Live View-Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center."
The center will be home to the Cooperative Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Wayne County Soil and Water and have classrooms and a large lobby.
The center will be 1.5 acres under roof, and its assembly hall will seat 800 in a banquet setting and more than 1,500 when set up for a speaker.
It will hold 70 booths for a trade show or similar event.
The assembly hall also can be broken into four rooms of different sizes.