GARDEN CITY — The town of Garden City is one step closer to revitalizing the property containing the historic elementary school after a local bill, which would allow for the property to be divided into sections, has been given a stamp of approval from the Alabama House of Representatives.
The property first came into the town’s possession in 2020, when state legislators approved to transfer the ownership of several unused, but historic, school buildings from the Cullman County School Board to their local communities. After touring the building, however, Garden City officials came to the agreement that the scope of repairs needed to renovate the building was beyond what the town could feasibly do.
While the town originally explored the options of demolishing and selling the property, legislation prohibited it from doing so in stating that the use of the property must be used “for the benefit and use of the public.”
“We didn’t really know that that was a part of it at the time,” Mayor Tim Eskew said following the town’s council meeting on Monday, June 12.
In 2021, Dan Willingham and Nolan Bradford expressed an interest in renovating the building with intentions of using it as an events venue, but there have been no follow-up discussions on their proposal.
Recently, Garden City leaders requested that an amendment be added to the 2020 law which would allow a 7.2-acre portion of the property — not containing the school — be sold contingent on a majority council vote. Eskew updated the council on Monday, that those amendments have been approved by the Alabama House and were expected to move along to the Senate floor before the end of the week.
Eskew said the town has already received offers from a number of developers to purchase the land once Gov. Kay Ivey signs off on the amendments. From what he understood, the majority of those developers intended to use the property for residential houses.
VFD modifications put out for bid
The town also moved forward with the next phase in the construction of its volunteer fire department after modifications were made to the building’s interior design. Originally, an overhead storage area was intended to span the entire 40-foot width of the building, but after fire chief Zach Thomas expressed concerns over the wooden I-joists that would be required, storage plans were modified.
“I’m not really a fan of those I-joists, being in the fire service myself. I’ve seen way to many fatalities because of those things, they burn and they burn quick,” Thomas said.
The compromise was made to designate the space about the building’s bathroom/shower are for storage using either 2x8s or 2x10s. After finalizing the interior plans the council approved to advertise four separate bids to finalize the project:
Interior construction of office space, two bathrooms, two showers and storage area.
Electrical installation throughout the buildingHVAC for new building with heat/air in 40×60 area containing office space, conference/training room and restroom/shower facilities.Driveway off Hwy. 31 and parking lot.
The council agreed to a 30-business-day timeframe and plans to open any bids received at its next council meeting on July 10.
In other business, the council:
• Approved the 2022 annual water consumer confidence report.
• Agreed to a $4,000 contribution be made to the town’s upcoming Freedom Celebration on July 2. The contribution will be used towards the purchase of fireworks and any ice needed for the event.
• Amended the town’s mobile home permit to include a one-year timeframe and limit additional construction to a single, 8×8-foot porch.
• Approved for the maintenance department to hire an additional part-time employee for between 20-30 hours each week.
• Entered into an estimated 45 minute closed session to discuss ongoing litigation with the town’s attorney and District Attorney Champ Crocker.