JASPER, Tenn. – Some Marion County leaders want to buy a downtown building to house two important programs, but others aren’t so sure.
County Mayor David Jackson told commissioners at their October meeting that the owner of the Snipes Building on Jasper’s downtown square has offered to sell it for $40,000.
He said the county could buy the building and use it to house Marion’s veteran services office and a much-needed child advocacy center so local residents needing advocacy services don’t have to travel to Chattanooga.
“So, it would give us the opportunity to have a child advocacy office here,” Jackson said. “It would save us some time, the dollars we spend [with county officers] traveling to Chattanooga, and people leaving the county to do those interviews.”
Commission Chairman Gene Hargis, who works for the Marion Sheriff’s Department, said anytime a child abuse allegation is made, the people involved are sent to the Children’s Advocacy Center in Hamilton County for a forensic interview and a medical examination.
“The problem is Hamilton County has got more than they can take care of themselves,” he said.
Marion averages six to eight new cases per week that must be referred to Hamilton, Hargis said, and getting the interviews and examinations done in a timely manner can be tough.
“They have to schedule us whenever they can, and a lot of times that’s two and three weeks out,” he said. “A lot of times we get bumped the day before. A lot of these parents don’t have the means to get their children to Chattanooga, so a lot of these outlying counties are doing a satellite center.”
These satellite advocacy centers use corporate donations to hire certified professionals one or two days a week, and many of them get state funding, too.
Hargis said a satellite center in Marion would be “no cost to the county” other than providing an interview room and two small offices.
However, some board members believe the county may have space for the programs in buildings it already owns.
Commissioner Tommy Thompson said there is room in Marion’s Justice Center, and Commissioner Mack Reeves suggested the county’s Juvenile Court building could be used as an advocacy center.
“I’m all for taking care of children,” Reeves said. “Don’t get me wrong, but it goes back to I think we need to utilize every space we already own. We need to look after every dollar we can until we’re just busting at the seams and utilizing every space.”
Commissioner Joey Blevins agreed and said the expense of running and maintaining another building might not be feasible since “all of our buildings have so many issues” already.
“Before long, we’re going to own half the square of Jasper,” Reeves said. “To me, it’s a hard decision, but I don’t think we need to own half the square of Jasper.”
The vote was tabled until the Nov. 28 meeting to gather more information. The building committee will meet at 4 p.m. CDT Thursday at the courthouse to discuss the issue.
Hargis said the “day is coming” when the county will be told it can no longer use Hamilton’s advocacy center.
“So we’re going to have to do something,” he said.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.