Louisburg: New Digs Long Time Coming

3/23/2010 5:50:21 PM

When flooding from Hurricanes Fran and Floyd nearly encompassed the Town of Louisburg’s utility department, Utility Director Ray Patterson already knew it was time to move from the antiquated facility on Sunset Avenue.

The aged brick structure built in 1906 housed not only the electric department, but the town’s street and public works divisions as well. Over 20 employees went to work every day to a dilapidated building, with just one office and one bathroom amidst a meager 3,800 sq. ft.

“The hole in the roof was a bonus,” said Patterson, a 30-year Louisburg civil servant.

Now the building is mostly empty warehouse space, and the one office serves as a police storage room. It still houses one of four antique diesel generators that powered the town for much of the early 20th century.

“The last time the town used the generators was in 1954 when (Hurricane) Hazel came through here,” said Patterson. “People brought their refrigerators and freezers in pickup trucks, and parked them here connected by drop cords.”

Finally, last June, Patterson and his staff moved operations into a sparkling 55,000-sq. ft. facility on Industry Drive.

Twelve thousand sq. ft. indoor and encaged warehouse space serves each of the three departments. Shiny battleship gray floors, ceiling clearance to park  multiple bucket trucks indoors, bright fluorescent lighting, a wash bay, plenty of modern furnished offices, a full service kitchen, workout room and meeting room for up to 250, break room, conference room, wireless internet access and two bathrooms and showers each for men and women; make up a palace compared to the departments’ previous digs.

“I didn’t think the other place was that bad until we moved. We had gotten kind of used to it over there,” said Electric Superintendent Mike Ayscue, now in his 20th year with the town.

“About 15 years ago we started talking to the Town Council about needing a new facility,” Patterson said. “So they deposited to an escrow account each year and never touched it. We were very pleased.”

Patterson and his staff played a major role in the design of the new building for the town’s electric, public works and street departments serving about 2,100 customers. The town’s public works department is also housed at the new facility.

Harold Annis, an architect from Raleigh, was brought in to counsel Patterson and assist with the blueprints.

The original cost estimate for the building came in at about $7 million, Patterson said. But the piece of property the town owned and first earmarked for the new location had no power, water, sewer or road access.

“So we backed off,” Patterson said.

Instead, town officials then set their sights on a tobacco warehouse up for sale, complete with road access and utilities. When all the modifications and up fitting was complete, Patterson and his crew walked into their new facility for a turnkey price tag of less than $4 million.

“The thing I’m most proud of is that this was a joint effort,” Patterson said. “I took my department heads and we sat down, drew a square and said, ‘Now, what do we need?’”