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The Stanly County Board of Commissioners agreed to consider a proposal for a new senior services facility.

In a partnership with the city of Locust, the commissioners would help fund an extension to the library facility on Ray Kennedy Drive.

The county would be responsible for half of the building up to 3,500 square feet, with Locust paying the other half and anything above that, according to County Manager Andy Lucas.

Lucas said he had been contacted by Terry Whitley, who owns the facility which the county leases on 213 Town Centre Dr. He said Whitley wants the county to move out of the space.

“They want us to move out of there because they can take that space back and put something in there that would likely pay them more money,” Lucas said.

The new facility would house senior services from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On  nights and weekends the city would be able to rent it to individuals.

Lucas said Locust would pay for the utilities involved with the new building, unlike the current site where the county pays for utilities. The county would lease the facility for free or $1 per year.

He estimated the cost for county’s part of the new building would be around $750,000.

County attorney Jenny Furr said the county pays $1,500 per month for the lease on the senior center, along with costs for phone, janitorial service and internet access. The county also pays 11.25% of the building’s water and sewer costs.

Vice chairman Mike Barbee said he was “leery” of paying half “with anybody on construction.”

Chairman Scott Efird said many people use the senior facility in Locust, noting the veterans’ lunch the first Wednesday of the month gets “close to 50 people.”

Efird, who is planning and zoning director for Locust, said the city is probably going to build a two-story building with an elevator.

Lucas said the building would probably take 12 to 14 months to build.