Dillon Breazeale, 16, left, and Whitney Stone, 17, pose for a photo alongside a mannequin at the 6th Cavalry Museum in Fort Oglethorpe.Wariness over being responsible for a 108-year-old building seemed to melt away Friday afternoon from the Fort Oglethorpe City Council.
Although there had been some trepidation about taking over such an old structure that needs a lot of work, council members warmed to the idea of gaining the historic Army post gymnasium as a community showpiece.
On Friday, the council held a workshop to weigh Catoosa County’s offer to spend $350,000 in special purpose local option sales tax money to buy the historic gym at 2978 LaFayette Road, a building now home to Tootie’s Treasures consignment store.
The county proposes to lease the building free for 30 years to the city which, in turn, could use it as a community center and the new home for the 6th Cavalry Museum, which currently is housed nearby in a nondescript city building on Barnhardt Circle.
Council members said they loved the idea of making LaFayette Road a more inviting entrance to Chickamauga Battlefield, which attracts about 1 million visitors a year. Transforming the old gym into a museum and community center fits that plan, they said.
“What do we have there to make [battlefield visitors] slam on the brakes and stop?” Mayor Lynn Long asked.
The catch, for the council, is that members didn’t want to be on the hook for maintenance. An inspector has said the old gym needs $248,000 in work.
Council members questioned why Catoosa couldn’t lease the building directly to the museum and leave the city out of it. They also wondered if it would make more sense for the county to lease the building to Fort Oglethorpe Downtown Development Authority.
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At the meeting, supporters of the 6th Cavalry Museum pleaded with council to trust that the nonprofit organization could handle upkeep and repairs to the gym.
“The fact of the matter is, the building is usable and is able to be opened and used without any repairs,” museum Executive Director Christine McKeever said.
The museum’s supporters include painting contractors and heating and cooling professionals whose volunteer work could reduce repair costs, she said.
“That’s how nonprofits get things done,” said McKeever, who expects to raise funds by holding special events such as weddings at the historic building.
Judy O’Neal, who owns the gym building and Tootie’s Treasures, said the estimate for repairs was inflated and had mistakes, such as stating that the building’s porch has a shingled roof.
“Go over there and look. The porch [roof] is tin,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal said she wants the museum to move into the building, but she’s tried of waiting for the deal to proceed. Waiting has cost her the option to buy another building as a new home for Tootie’s Treasures, she said.
On Friday, she gave council an ultimatum.
“April 15 is it, or it’s not on the market,” O’Neal said.
At the workshop’s end, Councilman Eddie Stinnett proposed putting the county’s original proposal on the council’s April 9 agenda.
“Put it on there, and let’s vote for it,” Stinnett said. “If y’all can’t afford it, we’ll board it up for 30 years.”
Councilman Johnnie “Red” Smith said, “We need a showpiece. One way or another, I’m for it.”