Wednesday, May 7, 2003
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Wednesday, May 7, 2003 |
Old county building could go away
By JOHN
THOMPSON Sitting in the shadows of the sparkling new justice center and jail stands a building that some Fayette residents would like to see saved from the wrecking ball. In 1986, the new Fayette County Library was built near the Fayette County Jail, said Fayette County Historian Carolyn Cary. "The first library in the county was built in 1948 by a group of Fayetteville ladies. They had been working toward their own building for nearly 20 years," Cary said. Cary added that Margaret Mitchell played a big part in getting the county its first library. "With the help of the late author Margaret Mitchell, and selling jams and homemade aprons on the Courthouse Square, they finally had enough fund to construct the building at Lee and Johnson avenues, containing 1,000 square feet. The building currently houses the Fayette County Historical Society," she said. The Margaret Mitchell Library, so named with her permission, had grown in volumes by 1985 to the point that there was no more room for additional shelving, said Cary. But the library quickly outgrew its 5,000 sq. ft. and moved to its present location in 1997. The building adjacent to the jail was used to house magistrate judges and is currently housing officials from the Sheriff's Department while the old courthouse undergoes renovations. Fayette County Board of Commissioners executive assistant Carol Chandler said the old library will be demolished after the courthouse renovations are complete and sheriff's officials are through using the buildings. But e-mails to this paper and the Fayette County Commission have asked if there is a possibility to save the building for additional office space. The answer appears to be no. "When we bid the contract for the jail and courthouse in 1999, we pledged to neighbors in that area to take that building down and install a berm to help visually obscure the new buildings," said Commission Chairman Greg Dunn. Dunn said the building is now the actual property of the contractor and it will be demolished after all the work is done. If an organization or group wanted to move the building and use it, Dunn said the county would work with the group, but the organization would have to pay for all the moving costs.
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