Photo: Maintenance Supervisor John McElroy, second at right in gray shirt, provides an update to committee members. Shannon McFarlin photo.
By Shannon McFarlin, News Director
Paris, Tenn.–The Henry County buildings and grounds committee Monday held the first of what will be many meetings to tackle the issue of prioritizing which of the county’s aging government buildings can and should be restored.
Committee Chairman Marty Visser said at the session’s conclusion, “This needed to be done for years. This committee is going to do its work.” Visser said he wanted the committee to hold regular meetings and set the next meeting for 5 p.m. August 5. “If we plan on fixing these buildings, we need to make priorities,” he said. “We need to do what needs to be done for the well-being of the public and the safety of our employees.”
County Historian David Webb said at the meeting’s outset, “Finally, the county’s facilities are being put on a front burner after years of delay, delay. Finally we’re there.”
Two buildings that “need to be here 100 years from now are Grove Tower and the county courthouse,” he said. “They are the most important.” The county schools vacated the Grove Tower building last year due to safety issues and if it is not to be used for school offices in the future, Webb said, it should be renovated and used for county government offices, such as archives and genealogy.
County Register of Deeds Pam Martin, whose office is located in the courthouse annex, agreed. “I’m glad you’re bringing this to the forefront. These buildings have been going down for years.”
County Trustee Randi French agreed, noting the need to prioritize safety of the public and the records that the county offices store. French’s office also is located in the courthouse annex.
Also in attendance at Monday’s meeting were County Clerk and Master Albert Wade, both candidates for County Mayor: Randy Geiger and Tim Wirgau.
With a list of county-owned and/or maintained buildings, the committee reviewed with Maintenance Supervisor John McElroy the condition of each.
Central Office Building (former Central School, on Jones Bend Rd. Extended): McElroy said the building “is one of the best buildings we got. It needs some cosmetic work and needs work in the parking lot.” McElroy said. Dyersburg State will be moving out of the building and into the new TCAT building which will open up space in that building for other county offices.
Courthouse Annex: McElroy said, “Not a lot positive can be said about this building. It’s in bad shape. It has bad bones. The bricks are 120-130 years old and you can take a pocketknife and cut them in half.” Paris Karate and a beauty shop are located in the original part of the building. The annex originally was known as the Crete Opera House block and at one time was the location of the National Toilet Co., which had manufacturing on the second floor.
Previously, there was an estimate of $17M to restore the annex building.
Henry County Courthouse: McElroy said, “It needs a lot of work, but the bones are still good. The roof is dry now.”
The immediate concern is the clock tower, with plans previously discussed by county officials (and reported on this news site) to take the tower down and replace it with a replica. It would take $50,000 alone to fix the clock itself, McElroy said. He estimated that the clock weighs 2,000 pounds.
McElroy recommended the clock tower “needs to come down soon for safety’s sake”.
Wade applied for grant funds for renovation “months ago and we’ve not heard back. And we were timely in our application.”
Health Department: McElroy said the health department on Joy St. “is in good shape. It has a new roof” and relatively new HVAC units. “That’s one of the best buildings we’ve got”, he said.
As has been reported previously, thanks to a $2.25M award from the state, a new health department will be constructed at another location within two years.
Once the health department moves from the Joy St. location, that building will be available for other county offices, too.
There has been discussion of moving the Register and Trustee offices to that building. French said, “Our office and the Register offices have to be together”, citing convenience to the public.
Henry County Extension Office/Driver’s License Office (Hwy. 79S): McElroy said that building is in good shape, with no major problems.
TRC Building (Tennessee Rehabilitation Center) Hwy. 79S: The building is in good shape “but will have to have new units in the near future.”
Weston Hall/Archives/Elections Commission (Grove Blvd): The building is in bad shape, McElroy said. “The roof leaks like a sieve. There’s not much good you can say about the building”. There is “solid black mold” in the basement “and you can barely breathe down there” and there was damage to the walls during the winter’s cold spell. The small water tower on Grove Hill is the only source of water in the building, he said.
Paris Landing EMS/Ambulance/Paris Landing Fire Department: The building was recently constructed and is sound.
Henry County Airport: There are six or seven buildings at the airport that the county is responsible for and most are in good shape.
Henry County Jail: The jail underwent “heavy remodeling” some 22 years ago and is in relatively good shape.
The committee gave the go-ahead to apply for a newly-available grant for $250,000 to assist with renovations and pledged to continue prioritizing the county’s building needs.
In other business:
At the request of Webb, the committee approved installation of new monument that will list all the county’s Revolutionary War soldiers. The monument is a project of the Bicentennial Committee and local DAR and will be located on the southeast quadrant of the courtsquare.
The monument is six feet tall with a granite base and is two-sided. The dedication will be held in the fall and will draw a number of people from multiple states, Webb said.