MACC tree lighting cancelled
As many Signal residents likely already know, the annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, usually held at the MACC facility, has been cancelled this year due to the need for a new sprinkler system inside the facility. The town had the necessary water main installed and was planning to install the sprinklers when structural issues led to scrutiny of the facility, Town Manager Boyd Veal explained in a letter to residents. With officials now considering the future of the building, the sprinkler system’s installation has been delayed, and the facility is unable to safely accommodate the occupancy load associated with the tree lighting or any other large gathering.
The costs associated with the potential solutions to save the Mountain Arts Community Center’s programs are no longer hypothetical.
During a well-attended town hall-style work session on Nov. 3, city officials released cost projections for each of the three options the Signal Mountain Town Council has been discussing for the past year.
The first option, to restore and upgrade the original grammar school building for increased functionality, was estimated at $2.7 million by local architecture firm Hefferlin + Kronenberg in May, with $1,231,427 set aside for restoration and $1,495,432 for the functionality improvements.
The second option, to construct a new 12,000-square-foot standalone building to host the MACC’s programs, would cost $2,987,349, Town Manager Boyd Veal told council members and meeting attendees last Thursday.
The third option, to renovate the current Town Hall for MACC activities and build a new town hall, was estimated at $2.8 million, with $1,365,872 of those dollars used to renovate Town Hall and $1,515,993 used to construct a new town hall facility. The option also introduces the possibility of constructing a new, larger gymnasium in a separate location, which Veal said would cost an additional $885,000.
Though the projects have finally received price tags, the council still has several more options to consider before making a decision. Separate parts of different plans can be grouped together, creating numerous solutions, Veal said.
That means the council could decide to renovate the current town hall and build a new town hall and gymnasium for a combined $3.7 million, Veal explained, or completely restore the existing MACC facility for a cost officials believe could total $4 million. It also means the town could restore the grammar school for $1.2 million and keep it as a non-functional space until the town raised enough grant money and private dollars to again make it a usable facility, he added.
Veal acknowledged the impact obtaining a loan for the final project could have on taxes.
“Based on our current conditions, if we were to incur an additional $4 million debt, that would equate to around $200,000 a year in debt service, and would require, at our current levels, about an 11-cent increase on the tax revenue,” he said.
Councilman Bill Lusk said the numbers and facility designs will provide officials and residents with a starting point for discussion and paint a clear picture of what the options look like.
“I believe this gives us a good foundation for having a larger discussion in the community,” Lusk said.
New Town Council representative Dan Landrum criticized the council for failing to include residents in the decision process earlier, arguing that since community members were not involved from the beginning, it would be hard to get them involved now – financially or otherwise.
“When you think extraordinary thoughts and extraordinary ideas, it requires extraordinary participation and input,” Landrum said, “and I think there’s been a lack of that input at this point.”
Veal said the rationale behind presenting plans first was to whittle down the infinite options to a few practical approaches, making the subsequent public input as productive as possible. Mayor Dick Gee agreed, adding that with no concrete decision made, the council is still open to alternative solutions from residents.
“The idea that we’re going to ignore the input from the community is simply not right,” Gee said. “We’re going to go to the community and ask for their input, their reaction to this, as well as for original ideas that we may have not thought of.”
The town will host a public meeting about the MACC in hopes of obtaining input from the community. The date for that meeting will be scheduled by the next Town Council meeting on Nov. 14.