By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Dover, Tenn.—Ongoing negotiations between the National Park Service engineers and contractors have stalled work to rebuild the Visitor Center at the Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Dover—rebuilding that was necessary for the Visitor Center to meet federal accessibility guidelines.
There has been no work performed on the project for almost a year and Park Superintendent Brian McCutchen told WENK/WTPR the delay is “very frustrating” for him and others who work at the park.
While the project has been stalled, the Fort Donelson Visitor Center has been located at the Stewart County Visitor Center at 117 Visitor Center Lane in Dover, a few miles from Fort Donelson.
McCutcheon noted, “For almost 10 months, it has been a non-stop process between the National Park Service engineers and contracting professionals, and others involved in the project. During this time there has been no additional work done on-site; pending completion of the negotiations.”
The intent of the project from the outset was to address significant issues with accessibility, safety and sustainability which McCutchen said “should have closed the building years before.”
The Visitor’s Center at Fort Donelson has been operating without full handicapped accessibility for some time. Restrooms on the basement level were only accessible with a chairlift for handicapped persons, and the building had been operating without adequate emergency egress and other safety standards.
McCutchen said, “No one wants to see this much needed project come to fruition more than my team and I do. The intended outcome and benefits – especially for those with mobility challenges – heart-felt goal for us.”
The length of time the project is taking and its current stall “has been very frustrating to me and others,” McCutchen said, “as the goal of making this historic but unsafe visitor center fully accessible to everyone was one of the primary reasons I accepted the transfer to Ft. Donelson. “
McCutchen said, “It is my hope that when this project is finished, we can look past the length of time and challenges it took to get to completion, and objectively determine that the outcome and benefits outweighed the challenges; because no longer will those with mobility issues have a horrible experience – unable to make it to the restrooms two floors below.”
He noted the challenges that existing with the Visitor Center. “No longer will visitors be stuck on a chairlift on a steep and narrow stairwell – a machine that was intended to be of assistance, but often proved to be quite the opposite. And for the first time, it will be a public building that meets the expectations of safety – with a fire system with suppression, emergency egress, area of refuge, and other improvements.”
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