The public survey for the Campus Redevelopment Project has been completed. Results are tabulated and will be shared at the Campus Reconfiguration Meeting on March 5. They will then be a part of the packet for future viewing.
There will be an Open House for the project on March 12 from 4:30 – 6:30. The Open House will be at Melvill Hall on the former campus property. Everyone is encouraged to attend to learn about the site and to be able to provide ideas about redeveloping the former campus property.
Through the Redevelopment Project, it was determined that certain campus buildings are in a state where it will cost more to repair than to tear down and build to fit the future need. The County has started the process to demolish some of the buildings at the campus property. The plan is to demolish the Classroom, Library and Science buildings. We are currently uncertain about the Wallace Student Center. The original plan was to see if there would be interest in repurposing the building but during the cold snap we had last month, there were significant issues with water pipes bursting and water damage occurring.
The county continues to work with the school district to finalize the sale of Melvill and the gymnasium. This process takes time as we need to separate the utilities from the other buildings and complete the surveying. We continue to work together for the shared use of the gymnasium.
The study has begun on the future of the ambulance service. Both group and individual meetings are being held. The plan is to have the study completed by the end of March 2026. It is the hope that by the end of April 2026, the county determines their role in the operation of ambulance services in 2027.
In addition to the study, the county continues to have discussions with the municipalities on the future of the ambulance service. There are three main options being pursued: continuing with status quo and the service being a county department, contracting with a third-party provider or the creation of a district with the district contracting with a third party or them taking over the operations of the service. The December meeting focused on what a District would look like. The meeting in January had a third-party provider give an overview of their service and shared what it would look like if they were here. The February meeting was to focus on what a county run service would look like beyond 2027. The discussion about a county run service quickly shifted to a discussion on the desire of the municipalities served by the Richland Ambulance Service to have the county create a countywide service to fund the Richland Ambulance Service outside of the levy limit. Per the request of most of the municipalities in attendance, this will be discussed at the March 10, 2026, Executive and Finance Committee meeting.
Creating a countywide ambulance service is not a decision the county will take lightly as it will impact all county property owners. The March 10th meeting will be the first time this is being discussed at the board level. The county had anticipated that these discussions would first focus on how the service would be run once the study was completed and then focus on the funding of it. Due to the municipalities choosing not to engage in discussions on how the service should be provided, the county now must change their focus to keep the process moving.
At the February full County Board meeting, there was a Transportation Resolution passed. This resolution urged the Governor and the State Legislature to enact a comprehensive, sustainable transportation funding solution.