Pikeville board agrees to buy temporary town hall
By Laura Collins
Published in News on August 4, 2009 1:46 PM
A heated debate broke out between members of the Pikeville Town Board of Commissioners and community members Monday night over the possibility of a new town hall.
Commissioners were considering approving moving the town hall to a temporary facility. The current building, on Southwest Railroad Street, is not up to code and possibly dangerous to work in, according to commissioners.
But citizens of the town urged commissioners not to spend more money if it could be avoided.
"The White House burned in (1814), and it was rebuilt. This building can be rebuilt," Johnny Weaver said.
Weaver, and others, were concerned that moving to a temporary facility and eventually a new facility would lead commissioners to raise property taxes. He said citizens should know how much property taxes would increase before board members vote on moving to a temporary facility.
Commissioner Todd Anderson said he was concerned about the safety of the current building and the working conditions for the employees.
"My biggest concern is what happens in the next downpour when something breaks and someone gets hurt," he said.
At the time of the meeting, the town had only one consultant evaluate the current building. At the urging of those present, board members agreed that they should get two or three more opinions on the current town hall location before deciding on a permanent outcome for town hall.
However after the board's closed session and community members left, the board voted to purchase and move town hall into a new temporary facility for $15,000. The new location will be at the Parks and Recreation bulding.
Also at the meeting, the town announced they will host an energy seminar at 6 p.m. Aug. 13 in the Community Building. At the seminar, citizens will learn more about energy-saving techniques and be able to sign up for free in-home energy audits.
The next board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 8.
Before meetings, police hold a Community Oriented Policing Summit at 6 p.m. to address community concerns.