Cabarrus Commissioners Notebook: May 2023

Published on May 15, 2023

Cabarrus County is taking another step toward creating a regional place for those experiencing a behavioral or mental health crisis.   

A selection committee recommended Messer Construction as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) for the planned Cabarrus County Regional Behavioral Health Center, which is slated for construction off Kannapolis Parkway.  

The center is planned for a 2025 opening.  

In recent years, the County prioritized behavioral health initiatives to improve resource access and address service gaps. The center will be an important part of that process. 

Assistant County Manager Kyle Bilafer and Director of Design and Construction Michael Miller presented the center’s construction update at commissioners’ May 1 Work Session.  

Messer has extensive experience with Cabarrus County projects. The company built the parking deck in Downtown Concord and serves as the CMAR for the new Cabarrus County Courthouse. 

A CMAR oversees various aspects of the construction process, Bilafer said. The CMAR’s main goal is to ensure the project is completed within a pre-determined “guaranteed maximum price” to reduce risks of unexpected increases in costs or problems that might arise during construction. 

If those goals are not met, the CMAR would take responsibility.  

The County hired human eXperience to design the $32.5 million state-funded center, which will serve adult, child and adolescent patients.  

The adult side will include 10 facility-based crisis beds, 10 beds for substance use disorder and a behavioral health urgent care to serve up to 16 patients.  

The child and adolescent program will have 24 beds in a psychiatric residential treatment facility that is separated into three distinct neighborhoods and a behavioral health urgent care to serve up to 16. 

The facility will have a total of 44 inpatient beds and 32 23-hour behavioral health urgent care chairs. 

County Officials have also conducted interviews with potential service providers for the facility, and commissioners will hear from a recommended provider at the June 5 Work Session.   

Cabarrus is also seeking its first Behavioral Health Director who is responsible for overseeing the center’s service provider, monitoring the County’s jail-based Stepping Up Program and collaborating with Partners Health Management, among other duties. 

The position is expected to be filled this summer.  

Also during the Work Session, Commissioners: 

• Discussed suggestions for naming the pedestrian plaza created as part of the Cabarrus County Courthouse construction/expansion project. The location is the former Means Avenue that connected Church and Union Streets. Bilafer brought the discussion to Commissioners to get input on a name for future reservations, advertisements and events. After some discussion, commissioners agreed on calling the area Courthouse Plaza.

• Heard an update from Assistant County Manager Kelly Sifford on the 2020-2021 HOME Program project. Sifford told commissioners the County’s Planning and Development Department would like to partner with Habitat for Humanity to build a new home with the remaining 2020-2021 HOME funds. In 2020, the department originally planned to partner with the City of Concord to build the new home. However, construction costs were higher than the amount Cabarrus County had in HOME funds. Habitat’s process of using construction volunteers can help with costs, Sifford said. A public hearing on the partnership will be held at the May 15 Regular Meeting.

• Heard from Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Tessa Burchett and Information Technology (IT) Chief Information Officer Todd Shanley on a new Records Management System (RMS), Jail Management System (JMS) and Computer-aided Dispatch (CAD) Software for the Sheriff’s Office. After reviewing various providers, Motorola Systems was selected as the provider. The current public safety software is 15 years old and outdated, according to Burchett. The new software will also be used by the County’s Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services and volunteer fire departments. The five-year contract with Motorola Systems will take about 14 months to implement, Shanley said. 

To watch the full agenda meeting, visit youtube.com/cabarruscounty..

The Regular Meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on Monday (May 15) at the Cabarrus County Government Center in downtown Concord.  

Commissioners will also hear the proposed budget message from County Manager Mike Downs during the meeting. 

Residents can watch commissioner meetings on the Cabarrus County livestream at cabarruscounty.us, on YouTube (@CabarrusCounty) and on CabCo TV (Spectrum Cable Channel 22). 

Stay updated on these and all County programs and projects by visiting cabarruscounty.us and following Cabarrus County at facebook.com/cabarruscounty and on Twitter @CabarrusCounty.