Editor’s note: Ask Us is a weekly feature published online on Mondays. We’ll seek to answer your questions about items or trends in Rowan County. Have a question? Email it to askus@salisburypost.com.

 By Samuel Motley
intern@salisburypost.com

A Post reader asked for details on vacancies in the West End Plaza, “the Salisbury Mall,” and how county officials plan to fill them.

The facility was purchased by county government in 2013 for a price of $3.4 million with the intention to use it as office space. Some county departments, namely the Rowan County Board of Elections and Veterans Services, have moved in. But almost six years later, the facility is still largely vacant.

Asked about the vacancies, Jim Greene, vice chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, said the county is currently having discussions about filling them. There are “several studies” currently ongoing, said Greg Edds, chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners.

The county is looking to fill vacancies and possibly work on parts of the building, Greene said. The commission is working with an architect to complete draft plans and compile estimates. This is likely to be completed in a few months, County Manager Aaron Church said.

Ongoing discussions are looking to move the agriculture-related services there, Greene said. That includes several agencies in a building on Old Concord Road — Rowan County Cooperative Extension, the soil and water conservation district, NC Forestry Service and potentially the Farm Service Agency.  However, the commission is waiting to get the plan back from ADW architects, with which it authorized up to $25,000 to be spent to draft plans for the relocation.

If the agriculture-related services are moved, it would free up space for Emergency Services, which is also located in the Old Concord Road building, Edds said.

Still, Church made it a point that the mall is “utilized every day,” he said.

“If you go there, you will see it’s clearly not vacant,” he said.

There are several community groups which rent out the event center, an old JC Penney, Edds said.

The mall is versatile, even used by people as an “indoor track,” Church said. It’s one of the largest places available for rent in the county, he said.

While the county was busy with several other things over the past few years, Greene said, the commissioner has made it as the priority this year.

Recent upfits have been made to the structure, Church said. This includes a new roof, he said.

Contact newsroom intern Samuel Motley at 704-797-4264.