Fort Mill gets $25 million to build a new operations center. What will happen to the armory?
Fort Mill’s historic armory has long served as home to the town’s operations center, but a new plan will move the public works space to a tract of land outside the downtown corridor.
The state of South Carolina has allocated $25 million to build a new operations center to better meet the needs of the rapidly growing town.
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“This is a $25 million amount of money that will be provided to the town of Fort Mill to assist with the building of a new operations center that will house our public works, our utilities department, and many other offices for town staff,” Fort Mill Mayor Guynn Savage said during a gathering Tuesday at the armory.
Six years ago, S.C. Rep. Raye Felder started making requests in the state budget for the public works space in Fort Mill, but the COVID-19 pandemic placed the project on the back burner.
“This year, with much appreciation to Speaker Murrell Smith and Senator Harvey Peeler, we were able to get a budget allocation to help us get over this hump to get an operations center which will allow us to look at what the future possibilities are for the armory,” Felder said Tuesday.
The location of the armory, at 131 E. Elliott St., is a key reason it was deemed no longer fit to house Fort Mill’s operations center.
“As we pursue the best and most cost effective solution, the town understood the following: the location of this building is not ideal for this type of facility,” Savage said.
“The facility needs expansion, and the current location doesn’t allow for additional acreage to do so.”
Savage said she hopes the new operations center will give Fort Mill’s public departments room to expand with the town’s booming population.
“Our town staff has not grown to marry up with the growth in our community, and we are working to fix that,” Savage said.
What role will the armory play in Fort Mill now that it will no longer house town operations?
The armory was built in 1938 and is in need of repairs.
Felder said she understands that it would cost less to raze the existing armory building and rebuild it, but the historical significance of the building is viewed as highly important.
“A priority of mine is the deep heritage and history that is home to Fort Mill,” Felder said. “We have so much to be proud of, and this building is one of those things.”
The armory’s role in Fort Mill’s future remains to be determined, but there has been talk of a performing arts center or an entirely different development project.
“Once repaired and restored, it is not the highest and best use to continue to house our public works and utilities department. This facility with its historic relevance will serve the community in another way,” Felder said.
