Do We Stay or Do We Go?

Even in a week that is thin in regard to meetings, there always seems to be something interesting that comes up. Take this week for example, I thought that the issue of a County Complex was dead in the water. Imagine my surprise when it was revealed that some Commissioners are still interested in taking the issue before the full Commission body for a vote. It almost rivaled the surprise that I felt when I discovered that, as of the late last week, Cope( the design firm for White Pine School) still has not signed a contract with the DOE or Jefferson County. To be truthful, I would have thought that the contract issues with Cope would have been ironed out long ago. After all, they have already produced plans for the project. In fact, they produced more than what was required or asked for, which was interesting in itself. It is not often that a firm will draw designs without the benefit of a contract. It is unheard of for a firm to draw plans that go far beyond the scope of a project without the benefit of a contract. Because, well, it requires a contract to be paid and people don’t generally pay for more design than they request. It does beg the question-what are they thinking? Is it possible that they, for some unknown reason, believe that the County will be purchasing the extended designs? Then again, perhaps it is just benevolence on their part.

As for the County Complex, I expect that the numbers for renovations to the DOE building will be large enough to build a case for a move. In the end it could end up being a lose-lose situation. What if the budget committee decides that the DOE building is not worth the cost of renovation? Suppose they decide to cut their loses on just that building and to leave the DOE in their current location (First Tennessee Bank Building). It is unreasonable to believe that an independent, private company or business will be willing or able to fund what the County government cannot. So does the building just sit empty, to fall down a little at a time over the years?

I have another idea, one that I think makes sense in a broader scope. Yes. It will cost money but, just like the County swimming pool, you cannot forgo renovations and maintenance projects for years at a time and then get jittery when something has to be done. If the DOE is renovated it could house the Jefferson County Mayor’s Office, the Jefferson County Finance Office and, it is possible, the UT Agriculture Extension Office. The space vacated by the Mayor could be easily be renovated to alleviate the overcrowding at the County Clerk’s Office. It is much more likely that the current Finance Office and the Agriculture Office could sell without major renovations and their sell could partially fund the DOE building renovations. If the Agriculture Extension Office cannot be located with the Mayor and Finance Department, due to space consideration, they could move into the current Finance Office. That would leave the currnet Agriculture Building, prime lake property, available for sale. Where would the DOE be located? Leave them where they are until a school building project is on the table. Negotiate the rent down a little if necessary. It is actually a palatable situation. At the First Tennessee Bank Building they pay no utilities, housekeeping, real estate insurance or maintenance. It isn’t a bad deal and it works and makes sense for now. As for the Courthouse, it is a historic building and does not have to be ADA compliant. Take the projects, one at a time. The County Commission and Mayor’s Office have indicated that they have no intention of selling the Courthouse so it will have to have maintenance anyway.

I am sure that there are other plans that could work that would not leave an empty building to fall down in the historic town square. Empty buildings are bad for business and they are the death blow to tourism. It makes no sense to pump $280,000 into EDOC for tourism and economic development and then leave a vacant building to become a pock on the County Seat’s historic district.

It would appear that we need some plans for our County buildings, to utilize the space that we have in the way that is the most efficient. It would also appear that we have more plans than we need for White Pine School, yet we are no closer to starting the project than we were months ago. Maybe it is time to move on to the second design firm choice. There are times when it makes perfect sense to stick where you are and time when it makes perfect sense to cut your loses and move on. I believe that we now find ourselves in both situations. Should we stay or do we go? The answer is yes.