Historic 90-year-old Signal Mountain Grammar School would become the community’s new town hall under one of several proposals broached during recent discussions of best way to meet town’s various needs
Rather than spend millions upgrading Signal Mountain’s historic grammar school so it can continue to house the Mountain Arts Community Center (MACC), it would make more sense to incorporate that project into a larger multi-pronged one that would solve several issues facing the community, according to town manager Boyd Veal.
For example, Mr.
Veal said, the current town hall building is sizable and sturdy, but it is not really suited for its current use.
Particularly troubling, he noted, is the fact that residents dealing with everything from a pending court case to an unpaid water bill all must go to the same public counter – often, at the same time – where there is virtually no privacy since their conversations can be heard by one and all.
He said Signal could solve that problem, along with the need for a safe home for MACC activities, by modifying the current town hall building so its interior contains classrooms and other facilities – and building a new, more suitable town hall just up the road on property the town already owns.
At the same time, he suggested, the town could spend just enough to make the original part of the old school safe and – down the road – seek grants aimed at preserving historic buildings and making it safe and usable.
Although the building currently violates code, he said, he thinks the fire marshal would work with the town if he knew officials had a viable plan in place that would eventually solve the old school’s structural problems and return it to public use.
Council members, considering the proposal, indicated the concept makes sense in a lot of ways and have a larger impact on the community for about the same amount of money.
However, some noted, it might be possible to tweak it and make it even better.
For example, council member Bill Lusk – saying he believes the historic but dilapidated 90-year-old grammar school building should be preserved – wondered aloud whether it could be modified to serve as the new town hall.
Questioned after the meeting, Councilman Lusk said questions over who owns the old school have been resolved. The original deed transferring the school from the school system to the town was located, he noted, and registered with the county by town attorney Phil Noblett.
However, other council members said they believe transforming the 90-year-old school would be a lengthy process that would not fit into the time line necessary to make Mr. Veal’s step-by-step process work:
- building a new town hall,
- renovating the current town hall into a center to house MACC,
- and upgrading the original section of the historic school to make it safe and usable.
Mayor Dick Gee questioned Mr. Veal’s entire concept.
It would take over a year to build a new town hall and renovate the current one to make it suitable for MACC, he noted.
MACC needs help now, he stressed, saying he thinks it makes more sense to go ahead and raze – and then replace – the newer portions of the school, which could be accomplished much more quickly.
In the end, Council members agreed to ask local architect Craig Kronenberg how much he would charge to develop three cost estimates.
The first estimate would be for demolishing the 12,000 square feet of newer sections of the grammar school, and replacing it with a new 12,000-square-foot structure.
The second would be for modifying the current town hall into a facility suitable for MACC functions.
The third would be for the construction of a more functional new town hall.