The city of Ringgold has big plans for its popular historic venue, The Depot, over the coming year.
The 170-year-old building will receive a new deck, improved landscaping by a landscape architect, refurbished wood flooring, new handicap access points and more, said City Manager Dan Wright. The Ringgold Convention and Visitors Bureau also has plans to replace the ticket office and pine flooring in the hallway.
Wright said the estimated total cost for those improvements is $100,000.
“The existing pressure-treated wood deck has been very hard to maintain and [to] keep safe and looking good,” he said. “Many of the boards have been replaced multiple times and continue to be an issue.”
Last year, upkeep included replacing tile and two HVAC units and updating plumbing and LED exterior lighting, totaling $21,500.
Each year, money for the projects comes from the city’s Hotel/Motel Tax, as the law requires 16.67 percent of earnings from the tax be used to support local centers like The Depot.
On average, The Depot is booked 180 days out of the year, Wright said, including the six-day annual Haunted Depot event which brings more than 1,000 visitors to the city each year.
“The Depot was the drawing card that brought commerce and people to Ringgold in the 1800s. Today it is a place where our community comes together for weddings, parties, celebrations, concerts, plays, dances, festivals, conventions, memorial services and anything between,” said Wright. “Investing in preserving The Depot is vitally important to the city and all those that visit.”
For more information about The Depot, visit cityofringgold.com, call 706-935-3061 or find the venue’s page on Facebook.