Our View: On Katherine Hall’s future
We’ll readily admit being more than a bit confused following last week’s Ware Shoals Town Council meeting when the topic of renovating Katherine Hall rather suddenly surfaced with councilman George Leagans advocating for the razing of the storied building.
Leagans admitted he had supported the renovation of the building that is essentially the central focal point of the town, but now he and others on council say tear it down.
But it’s a bit more complicated. Council cannot simply entertain a motion to tear down the building and take a vote. Katherine Hall’s renovation, to the tune of nearly $4 million, is among the 27 projects Greenwood County voters supported when they cast ballots on the proposed Capital Project Sales Tax in 2016.
Town Council cannot simply say to the county administration, much less to the rest of the voters and residents of Ware Shoals, “Hey, thanks for supporting this project, but we don’t want it any longer.” And it’s unlikely the town’s residents themselves can take a vote to say yay or nay on moving forward on the project.
In fact, it was the town that presented the proposal to have CPST dollars fund the renovation. Armed with a study and a 31-page report on what the project would entail, the town offered that Katherine Hall could house town offices, include a recreation center and serve as a performing arts venue.
With all that said, however, members of council have brought forth some interesting points, points worthy of further review.
If the nearly $4 million price tag were sufficient to bring Katherine Hall up to snuff as a community building, what then? In its original proposal, the town offered that rent, tax revenue, donations and service fees would be enough to maintain the nearly 16,000-square-foot building. Councilwoman Patty Walters not only suggested the price tag to renovate was inadequate, but also that the town would not have the money for upkeep.
Leagans, Walters and Kent Boles — Boles calling the restoration project a pipe dream — laid out the more bleak picture of Katherine Hall’s future, but not all were or are on board at this point.
There’s no question that $3 million-plus is a large chunk of change, and it should not be wasted. If Katherine Hall’s restoration is to be done, there most assuredly needs to be a solid plan for its future. Otherwise, it will likely wind up looking like the town’s eyesore it is today.
Money continues to be collected by the county to fund the 27 CPST projects. Before Katherine Hall’s number comes up, some people had best have some serious conversations. Moreover, they’ll need to explore the legalities surrounding the use of the funds earmarked for what long, long ago served as Ware Shoals’ vibrant town center.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on: Jun 23, 2021