The Montgomery City Council held their regular council meeting December 9th which brought concerns over one consent agenda item concerning the Historic Montgomery Community Center. A Montgomery Economic Development Corporation Special Meeting from their November 18th gathering had some citizens on edge believing that the MEDC had voted to condemn the Montgomery Community Center, thinking that the building was ready for wrecking ball. The November meeting involved the MEDC, Montgomery City Administrator Brent Walker; Ward, Getz & Associates LLC, or WGAConsulting Engineers; and Buckson Landscape Architects, a trusted landscape subcontractor firm that WGA uses for its projects.
At the heart of the discussion is the Montgomery ‘Downtown Improvement Project,’ which is being proposed by the MEDC to truly bring Historic Montgomery into the 21st Century, and foster better water and sewer concerns on McCown Street to the downtown businesses and Community Center grounds, which centers around the 1948 building with a Memorial for World War II Veterans in front. Planners began to consider what is best for the council to consider as more and more new residential developments come online in Montgomery proper. The issue for Historic Montgomery is the fate of a historic building that has played its role in the city’s growth for the past 77 years, and with the the town’s limited footprint for expansion of the historic district, space is a grave concern as to whether the building, with its small square footage, should remain in place. Or should it be moved to allow for better use of the community center grounds for market days, concerts, additional parking, and for an updated space that will be better suited to accommodate a community for events and gatherings, and be a welcoming space that citizens and travelers will actually want to visit and economically support the town.
As the community center currently stands now, it is in desperate need of repair, with an outdated and leaky roof, porous limestone that has weakened wall mounts, mold, non-ADA compliant bathrooms, and other issues that will take hundreds of thousands of dollars to begin to make right, with some fearing hidden costs that will spike out of control. Many Montgomery legacy citizens like Councilwoman Cheryl Fox have a long family history with the building.
“I think it has historic value,” said Fox reflecting on her memories with the building. “To my family, it has historic value all the way back.”
City Administrator Brent Walker, is extremely confident that with the state of the building, the entire footprint will have to be gutted, bringing to life possible environmental concerns for asbestos, lead paint, plumbing, and electrical concerns for a building built before 1950.
“You can see that all the drop ceilings are falling,” said Brent Walker. “So, if you do anything to it, you’re going to have to start from scratch, and tear it all out.”
Other considerations to evaluate are how important is the history of the building on its footprint, as compared to the historical importance of the site of the first courthouse in Montgomery County. Besides being the site of gatherings and community events for a small town it, the community center building had its uses, but the potential for the grounds with its ability to rejuvenate Historic Montgomery, to make its an inviting location for families with an updated facility properly placed farther north to open the grounds farther for park, concert, market days, etc. Then there is the possible relocation for the War Memorial to allow families and community members to properly reflect, to perhaps sit and gather to remember The Fallen from Our Nations conflicts, and even for possible ceremonies in remembrance. And with nothing truly set in stone in regards to planning, the only thing the MEDC approved in their November special meeting was to vote to authorize to begin design on the Downtown Improvement Project, which also entails either the update of water and sewer lines, and other utility concerns.
Buckson Landscape Architects Vice President & COO Cathleen Lynch, who presented for the subcontractor at the November MEDC meeting, noted about the possible considerations for limestone reuse on the current building or any rebuild as being very discouraging.
“It’s very porous,” said Lynch, speaking in reference to community centers limestone facade. “We don’t really know if it’s structurally compatible with uses on a building to be safe.”
At the December 9th council meeting, City Administrator Brent Walker, expressed concern over the small floor space offered in the current building making it inadequate for a growing community, in a way advocating to upgrade the building to Wi-Fi from dial-up internet, but suggested a way to incorporate certain elements of the old building into a newer complex.
“We can save the cornerstones for reuse,” said Walker, offering an olive branch to those who have a sentimental connection to the tired old building.
One comment overhead, was to keep the bare footprint of the building, if moved, for square dance events, as a way to remember the old building with any new developments on the grounds. And with the issue tabled until January, thanks to Councilwoman Fox’s motion, perhaps the upcoming holiday period can prompt all parties concerned to compromise on the future of the community center grounds, and the successful possibilities for Historic Montgomery it holds.