County officials joined Stovall town commissioners Thursday at the future site of the North Granville Senior Center in Stovall.
The new 8,000-square foot center will be located at 301 Oxford St. in Stovall, adjacent to the Stovall Branch Library.
Construction of the new facility is scheduled for 2023.
The current senior center is located at 318 U.S. Highway 15 South in Stovall and will remain open until the new facility is ready.
“The existing site has served its purpose,” said Commissioner Chairman Tony Cozart. “But the time has come for Granville County to expand services in Stovall to match what can be found at the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford and South Granville Senior Center in Creedmoor,” Cozart said.
In addition to Cozart, commissioners David Smith, Zelodis Jay and Sue Hinman spoke about the project.
“We know this center will help so many people in northern Granville County,” Smith said. “This new site will be so much safer without our seniors having to make that dangerous turn off Highway 15 into a very tight parking lot. Being in the middle of downtown next to other public services like the Stovall Branch Library, town hall, the U.S. Post Office, and the Stovall Medical Center will help make downtown Stovall a service hub for our northern Granville residents.”
Jay said he looks forward to construction beginning in the coming months. “Commissioner Smith and I have worked on this for years,” Jay told those gathered. “Before the district lines changed, we both represented Stovall. Even though Stovall is no longer my district, I still consider it to part of District 1 at heart.”
“Building a new Senior Center in northern Granville County has been a top priority of mine since I was first elected,” said Hinman. “Even though my district doesn’t include Stovall, I have always made a point of advocating that our Senior Services Department equally serve all parts of Granville County.”
Phyllis Blackwell, the center’s manager, can be reached at 919.693.3383 or phyllis.blackwell@granvillecounty.org.