LAURINBURG — Due to ongoing construction on the new City Hall and police department, some parking areas and the recycling drop off will be closed.

Also, the the right lane coming off Church Street for the drive-thru window access will close.

The city’s recycling drop-off behind City Hall closed on Tuesday, according to Laurinburg officials. Work on the $9.1 million municipal complex will require shutting down access to a large portion of that site, the city said.

That area will be closed indefinitely.

Additional closings will begin Nov. 27 and include parking on the back southern end of the lot near the grassy area. The south entrance to the parking area off Everett Street near the old park will also be closed at that time. These areas will be closed indefinitely, with re-opening dependent on construction progress.

The right lane of the entrance to City Hall off Church Street has already closed. But the left lane of this entrance will still be open and used for drive-thru window payments only.

“The safety of employees, contractors, and customers that come to the City Hall to conduct business is the top priority and the reason for taking these measures. Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated while we work through this transitional period,” the city said in a statement.

The new building will replace the current municipal building and the W. Charles Barrett administration building.

City officials have argued that staff has long since outgrown the early 1950s-era building on Church Street that currently houses the Laurinburg Police Department, the city’s finance department and utilities collections, and the city council’s meeting chambers.

The Barrett Building, which had housed other city departments — human resources, development, and the city manager and city clerk, was torn down earlier this month. Those administrative offices were moved into the Sanford Building in June.

The new City Hall-police department project is expected to be completed in late December 2018 to early January 2019.

Once construction is complete, city workers and police will relocate into the new facility. At that point, the old Laurinburg Municipal Building will be demolished and turned into the facility’s parking lot.

Staff report