At the Clay County Communities Revitalization Association General Membership Meeting on 31 March, there was a lot of interest in the status of the courthouse renovation. Many local Clay County residents have fond childhood memories around the beautiful old building. Newcomers admire the skill and imagination of the builders who used materials at hand to construct a useful and lovely structure. All of us long to have a new life for the courthouse, and we want to in this report to answer some questions that we didn’t have time for at our meeting.
In May 2010 the community came together to form a Friends of the Historic Courthouse steering committee under the auspices of the CCCRA, to approach the challenge of renovating the building and fitting it for use as a retail and meetings space. An independent consultant employed by the Clay County Commissioners outlined a plan that the committee is using as a blueprint.
The steering committee met Thursday, 14 April; the agenda items will give you an idea of where we are:
1. Lease agreement with the county. We asked the commissioners to lease the building to us for a minimal sum so that we can with authority pursue grant opportunities for the $500,000 to $700,000 needed for renovation.
2. Grounds preparation work. Even if funds were available, work could not proceed until issues of grading and drainage are addressed. We have a cost estimate for this work, and ask the commissioners to allocate funds and get this part of the job done.
3. First floor configuration. Fortunate to have some astute business people in our group, we explored ways to maximize revenue from the space. An added benefit would be public restrooms, of which there are now none in the downtown.
4. Refined business plan. Again, our experienced and successful business people analyzed the various scenarios and came up with dollars and cents estimates of operation income and expense.
In our 19 May meeting (9:30 in the Moss Memorial Library) we look at grant sources. The committee has been working diligently and effectively, we believe, to move forward, but the grant seeking remains a challenge in these economic conditions. If the money were available, we think that the building could be ready in a year’s time. We could then move forward, seeking tenants, scheduling many kinds of gatherings upstairs for the enjoyment of the community, and save taxpayer dollars as the courthouse begins to pay its way.
Everyone who wants to help is welcome to join the steering committee. And if you have ideas for fundraising, we’d like to hear them.
