DSS and health department buildings a mass of safety issues
The Department of Social Services (DSS) and health department facilities in Haywood County, North Carolina have numerous safety issues. The broken-down elevators often get stuck, the pipes freeze and the roofs leak. There are windows that won’t close. The space is cramped, and client confidentiality is constantly compromised because of the close quarters.
The Director of Social Service asked county commissioners if they would want to work in the building or if they would want their mothers riding in the elevator. The existing DSS building was constructed as a county hospital in 1927, with the addition where the DSS resides added on in 1950. The health department building is 54 years old. Extensive renovations would be needed to bring the DSS building up to modern standards, stripping the interior down to its structural skeleton. The building would also require asbestos abatement and lead paint remediation and an additional 15,000 to 20,000 square feet of space to comply with state requirements.
For the full story, go to Smoky Mountain News.
