On the agenda for the Signal Mountain Town Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting July 11 will be a resolution to seek proposals to restore the Mountain Arts Community Center to various levels of functionality.
After an extremely lengthy discussion at their June 24 planning meeting, council members unanimously decided to add the resolution authorizing town staff to seek the proposals, which will explore several previously discussed possibilities for creating a usable space in which to house the community center’s programs.
Mold was discovered in the MACC in December 2015, leading to the temporary closure of the building. While the mold in classrooms was ultimately found to be benign, the council’s investigation into the issue uncovered a number of other issues, such as water damage underneath the building.
Council members said they’d like to see a preliminary design for a new building to house MACC activities, designs to convert the current Town Hall into a suitable location for MACC activities, and a design for a new, separate town hall.
The council discussed the possibilities for nearly two hours during the work session, before ultimately deciding to seek proposals for all. Though debate raged back and forth on one proposed scenario versus another, commissioners reached an agreement that the activities at the MACC are more important to the town than having them at the former Signal Mountain Grammar School where they are currently housed.
“As long as we’re in a good space, we can make the programs work,” MACC Director Barb Storm said during the meeting.
Councilman Chris Howley said these proposals will help the council make a more informed decision about the most fiscally responsible solution.
Local construction firm Hefferlin + Kronenberg has estimated the cost for rehabilitation of the historic part of MACC as roughly $1.2 million. Howley said if the plan was shifted from rehabilitation to historical preservation, the town could cut those costs significantly while still preserving the building. Not only would construction costs most likely be lower, he said, the town could pursue historical grants to assist with funding.
“The building has far too much historical importance to abandon,” Councilman Bill Lusk said at the meeting.
While Mayor Dick Gee said he is extremely fond of the MACC building, he admitted it is most likely not the most suitable location for the classes and events held there.
“The classes appeared there because space was available, and it’s been the space ever since,” said Gee. “We don’t want to stick them in a place just because it’s available.”
The possibility of reconfiguring the current Town Hall to house MACC programs would put them in close proximity to the acres of recreational space surrounding that building, Howley noted, something he said could attract more participants to the programs.
The council stressed there will be much more discussion concerning the MACC in the coming months.
Email Shane Foley at sfoley@timesfreepress.com.