Fayetteville Council members Feb. 16 approved a measure that will use 2001 Bond Fund Project Account money to make improvements to The Villages Amphitheater and the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House.

Proposed amphitheater improvements included $75,000 for two sets of stairs on the left and right sides of the lawn near tiered tables to match the existing stairs. The stairs would have matching handrails and lighting, the proposal said.

Included in the project is a 20-foot by 30-foot concession/storage building to match the existing buildings. The concession/storage building will be outfitted with two roll-up windows, one exterior door, electrical and stub-in water. The building will be located at the top of the hill to the left of the restrooms when facing LaFayette, said Main Street Director Nancy Price.

The Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House improvements included preparation and chemical paint removal of the existing paint at an estimated cost of $50,000 and priming and painting the building’s exterior at an estimated cost of $15,000. Commenting on the project cost, Mayor Kenneth Steele such work is one of the challenges of historic preservation.

“With coat after coat of paint over the years, they eventually don’t hold the paint anymore so you have to take all the old paint off,” he said. “The chemical process is expensive but it pays of in the long run.”

During the discussion, Councilman Paul Oddo asked if area businesses could be approached to help defray the project cost. Price said that the Downtown Development Authority customarily works with businesses on various projects to the extent that “businesses run when they see me coming.”

Steele asked Oddo if he would be willing to work with the city to enlist the financial assistance of city businesses with needed projects. Oddo agreed. A 4-0 vote was subsequently taken approving the measure, with Oddo abstaining.

Also at the meeting, council members heard the first reading of a rezoning request that would allow for a 280 N. Jeff Davis residence to be zoned O&I (Office & Institutional). Planning & Zoning Director Eldridge Gunn said the city’s Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map designates the site for downtown mixed use development. The owners request, he said, was consistent with that use. Plans call for use of the building as a decorating business.

login to post comments