When Highway 301 was bustling, the building was a restaurant to a now demolished motel where social services used to be. The old motel and the only building that remains as a reminder of the motel was also the first home to Halifax Community College.

Now the old food stamp building will be home to Halifax County Probation and Parole.

Halifax County Manager Tony Brown took commissioners and reporters on a tour of the building today to show the progress that has been made on the building, which sits at the entrance of Weldon Middle School.

The building meets the standards needed by probation and parole, Brown said, adding it is agency’s first home in Halifax County remodeled to its specifications.

At least 15 probation and parole employees will work in the building and there is enough space to have at least two more offices, Brown said, which could include bringing Department of Correction staff working at the courthouse over.

Renovations to the building are expected to be completed by the end of the week, including putting up a 6 foot wooden fence along the back and side of the building. Other security devices are also expected to be added by the end of week, including security lights, motion sensors and a video camera.

Probation and parole could begin moving into the building next week, although the agency has said it will probably be more around the middle of July.

There was some controversy to the move when Weldon school officials objected. Probation and parole agreed to have sex offenders and others who commit crimes against children go to the day reporting center.

“We talked about this at our December retreat,” Commissioner Marcelle Smith said. “It’s not something we just came up with.”

Many of the probationers fail to show up for their appointments and many times probation officers are on the road locating clients, Smith said.

In February the county agreed to renovate the former food stamp building after the state informed officials it would no longer pay the lease for the current building, which is located in the Forest Hills Shopping Center in Roanoke Rapids.

With an annual lease payment of $26,640 and annual operating costs of $15,000, commissioners decided they could make improvements to the food stamp building for $87,000.

The food stamp building has 5,500 square feet while the current building has 3,000 square feet.