The Clay County Board of Commissioners held a public meeting on November 13 with Smithson Mills of Mars Hill College to receive suggestions about possible uses for the courthouse. With the help of Caroline Cunningham, a graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill, Mr. Smithson will submit a feasibility study to the county outlining the most promising possible uses of the courthouse building.
The old Clay County Courthouse is 8,000 square feet, with 4,000 square feet on the ground floor. The second floor holds the courtroom. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Commissioner Harry Jarrett reported that he and 8-10 volunteers have met monthly over the past year to discuss the building. The County successfully applied for a predevelopment grant of $25,000 from the state and added $5,000 of county funds to hire Ellen Harris from Brevard, a restoration expert. It spent another $45,000 stripping the courthouse and hiring a structural engineer, who examined the building and found that it is sound.
Ms. Cunningham described what three other counties in North and South Carolina have done with their old courthouses:
- The Old Wilkes Courthouse in Wilkesboro, NC. This building now houses a heritage museum. It has also become a popular venue for weddings. The county owns the building and leases it to a nonprofit organization. It has an annual operating budget of $200,000, part of which is devoted to marketing the building to potential users.
- The Robert Mills Courthouse in Camden, SC. The county owns this building but leases it to the chamber of commerce, which manages the building. Chamber dues contribute to its upkeep. The building used for weddings and fund raisers.
- The Old Cabarrus Courthouse in Concord, NC. This building is owned by the county and has a budget of $650,000 per year. It houses an arts council, an art gallery, and a theater. The art gallery generates revenue of about $20,000 a year.
According to Mr. Smithson, Clay County will need to decide who manages the courthouse, specifically whether it will be the county or an existing community organization. The courthouse will need an income stream and a budget that will be separate from normal county operations. If the courthouse serves as an event center, it will require staffing. In many cases, breaking even is a challenge. Renting out at least some of the space will generate a continuing revenue stream. The goal will be to have a self-sustaining operation.
Participants in the meeting suggested that the old Clay County Courthouse might be used to do the following:
- Operate a branch office of the Clay County Chamber of Commerce.
- Serve as a welcome center for Clay County.
- Provide a base for transportation to and from public land.
- Enhance the Saturday farmers market so that it is a festival.
- Provide retail outlets for local crafts people and artists.
- Support the local heritage.
- Serve as a center for special events.
- House selected county offices or community organizations.
- Serve as a venue for a summer drama like "Unto These Hills" in Cherokee.
- Allow demonstrations of local crafts such as blacksmithing.
- Post a map of Hayesville indicating all of the local sites worth visiting.
- Provide instruction in how to make ethanol.
- Promote the Hiawassee River Basin and the chain of TVA lakes.
- Provide a memorial to the Cherokees who were removed on the Trail of Tears.
- Serve as an attraction for hikers on the Appalachian Trail.
- Serve as a wedding venue.
- Hold fiddling contests like the one in Blairsville.
- Allow rotating exhibits sponsored by various local organizations such as Communities in Schools.
- Integrate into the various festivals on the square that are already being held.
Mr. Smithson is continuing to accept suggestions for possible uses of the building. Contact the county offices to have suggestions forwarded to him. He plans to submit a final report in the spring. The report will incorporate both architectural and funding recommendations.
