Residents give opinions on community building
By Barbara Arntsen
Published in News on September 17, 2004 1:59 PM
Wayne County citizens want the burned-out Community Building rebuilt, and most want it rebuilt at its old downtown location, says Goldsboro Parks & Recreation Director Neil Bartlett.
Last month the building's board of trustees asked for written comments from the public about the new community building's future.
Bartlett said his department had received a fairly good response from citizens.
"About 60 percent were in favor of seeing it at the same location, and about 40 percent want to see it somewhere else," he said.
The reasons given for putting it elsewhere were concerns about parking and access.
The 79-year-old building burned in May after a fire started in the cupola atop the roof. An investigation could not determine what caused the fire.
The building was opened in 1925 and dedicated to Wayne County veterans who fought and died in World War I.
Directors and trustees for the building met in July to discuss the building's status and approve the report received by a private engineering consulting firm.
The report recommended not rebuilding the current structure because the damage was too intensive.
Lasater, Hopkins & Chang, P.C., the consultants hired by the board, said it wouldn't be economically feasible to repair and rebuild the building.
Bartlett told the board that the insurance company had hired Shaw & Associates of Greenville to evaluate the cost of rebuilding.
In turn, Shaw hired Cleve Paul from D.S. Simmons Construction Co. to help determine the cost.
Bartlett said that the trustees would meet in the next week or two to discuss the future of the building. The board will also find out then how much the insurance company will pay.