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Artist's Rendering of Our New HQ and Community Center
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History
Our well loved, well used headquarters, (HQ) at 64 Ward Street according to tax documents - was built in 1941. But it wasn’t home to the Democratic Womens Club until it was purchased by them in April 1984 from the Columbus Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. By some accounts it was also used as a barbershop. The building is now 85 years old. 
Polk Dems Headquarters back in May 1989
A few years later, one of the club members anonymously paid off the mortgage and we became the first county party in NC to own a permanent headquarters.
Since then it has been our home. The home of the Polk County Democratic Party. We are serious minded people who care about good governance. We strive to help elect the kind of honest and competent representatives we all want and deserve. A New Home Our new home will be a major upgrade not just for us, but for the people of Polk County as well. Our headquarters will double as a community center for all to use when available. |
A great deal of planning and effort has gone into making this HQ and community center possible. Our plans most certainly would not be happening without the donations of Polk County residents who share our
vision. But their patience we realize is not infinite. WHY NOW? We are under no illusion that building a new HQ “now” has bad optics. We wish we didn’t have to do it. But if we don’t replace our aging building now on our own terms we will be inviting bigger problems down the road. We are being proactive and responsible so that we can continue to serve the community we care about so deeply. And frankly, donors want to see their donations (earmarked for just this project) put to use. We are looking ahead or “past” the troubling era we find ourselves in. We are more than certain we can do two things at the same time. It will be harder in the short-term, but the end result will be worth it. In 2009 the roof of the Republican HQ in Columbus collapsed due to neglect and heavy snow. The building was a total loss. A cautionary tale for our current situation. In December of 2009 the Republican Headquarters in Columbus had its roof cave in because of neglect and a big snowstorm. Built in the 1950’s or 1960’s it was a brick
and cinder block structure that had been built originally as the town post office. After the roof collapse it wasn’t clear where the group would meet to conduct their business. The building was a total loss. We hope to avoid this scenario happening to us. Thankfully nobody was hurt when the Polk GOP roof collapsed. By replacing our 85 year old building now we are being responsible hosts. The numbers for repair vs. replacement were smithed endlessly for a time and repairing the building was ultimately deemed to be a bad idea. |
Our Current Situation
The exterior of the building is rather porous with lots of voids for small animals to access the crawl space area. There is zero natural light in the main room and poor environmental control.
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The main meeting space is cramped for our needs. The floor is sagging in the 85 year old building described as a “club house” in tax documents. The roof is suspect and the electrical defies remedy. There is no storage of any sort or an office and the only bathroom is terrible. I could go on...
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Our Plans
Our New HQ and Community Center as seen from Ward Street
Above is a simplified floor plan showing the interior layout of the structure. The kitchen has been meticulously considered. There are 3 bathrooms which are required due to code. The front porch will remain largely the same dimensions and is a nice spot to relax and consider weightier issues.
The west side elevation (top) features more arbor refinements and will provide beautiful sunset lighting. The current building has one window in the kitchen half clogged by an AC window unit. The east elevation is largely the same except it doesn’t feature any windows but retains the arbor details shown above. The arbors will be built and painted by volunteers to save money. The rear or south facing elevation (not shown) has our rear fire exit and also retains the arbor detail that is a unifying design element throughout the building design. It is reminiscent of a southern porch and brings an easy and inviting look to the building.
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Contact:
Ted Owen Chair Polk Dems 1 864-205-0060 [email protected] Sherril WIngo 1 828-817-1668 [email protected] Garland Rice [email protected] Sharon Millard [email protected] |
How to Donate
Funds to fully complete our new HQ are still badly needed.
If you would like to donate, please make your check out to:
PCDP Building Fund
and send it to:
Polk Democratic Party
Post Office Box 602
Columbus, NC 28722
Download our Pledge Form
Donate Online Using ActBlue...
Funds to fully complete our new HQ are still badly needed.
If you would like to donate, please make your check out to:
PCDP Building Fund
and send it to:
Polk Democratic Party
Post Office Box 602
Columbus, NC 28722
Download our Pledge Form
Donate Online Using ActBlue...
