Mitchell County Government officials celebrated the completion of two long-range projects on Monday, November 3. Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held to celebrate the county’s new Law Enforcement Center and Recreation Center, both in Bakersville. Both projects have been in the planning, fundraising and construction phases for several years, and Helene’s arrival in 2024 delayed their completion for a year.
The Law Enforcement Center was pressed into service early when floodwaters from Cane Creek destroyed the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office. After working for a couple of months out of Bowman Middle School while the facility was being rushed to completion, Sheriff Donald Street and his staff moved into their new location last January. During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Street noted that the new Center provides much-needed space for investigations along with giving room for the department to grow in the future. “It’s gonna last many years, long past most of us likely,” Street said in his comments. Senator Ralph Hise is proud of the new center. “I am so proud that we were able to find the funding to assist the county in being able to complete this,” he said.
The new Recreation Center is the completion of a dream started years ago according to Recreation Director Brock Duncan. From Wade Tipton, the county’s first recreation director, through Greg Hoilman and on to today’s staff, work has continued to promote better facilities for recreation sports leagues in the county. “Ryan (Cook) and I, we always vowed when we started that we would leave it better than we found it.” The new facility features a workout room, multipurpose room, recreation department offices and storage, and a new multipurpose gym with walking track that is available for all county residents to use. State Senator Ralph Hise praised the new facility and continuing work on recreation department programs. “We finally have facilities in Mitchell County that look like and represent the quality of teaching and programs that we have put into these kids for generations.” The Recreation Center will be open Monday-Saturday, 9 AM to 8 PM.
Next up for recreation is the restoration of the Wade Tipton Field in Bakersville which was significantly damaged during Helene. This project has received a grant from the Carolina Hurricanes, the National Hockey League team in Raleigh, who presented a check for one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) to the department for restoration work back in April, 2025.
