GARLAND — Town leaders are continuing steps to officially close the town’s community center.
During a recent meeting, the Board of Commissioners discussed the former Head Start building, which came with a disagreement about its fate.
Commissioner Austin Brown recently spoke with Jerry Cashwell, assistant EMS director and fire marshal, about an inspection for the community building. In 2015, commissioners voted to use the building for storage. But according to officials, it’s still classified as an occupied dwelling since proper procedures were not taking. If it’s opened up in the future, the town will have to make more repairs to be in compliance.
“If we do want to open it back up, there’s going to be much more involved and grandfathered in, instead of the few minor things that are listed,” Mayor Winifred Murphy said.
Several years ago, Murphy said she was against the idea of cutting it off to the public, since it served as meeting place for community members and organizations. But safety regulations and codes required the town to make repairs, which resulted in the commission making a vote to close the facility. One major need was a fire-rated door with a price tag of $5,000.
During previous meetings, commissioners spoke about vandalism such as damaged windows. Commissioner Lee Carberry suggested to keep the roof repaired and complete upgrades gradually. But Murphy and Brown feared that more requirements will be needed in the future, if the building is reopened.
“But it’ll already be done and no one can say what a lot more is going to be,” Carberry said referring to future needs for inspections. “There’s always upgrades every year and Garland doesn’t have the money right now.”
Carberry also mentioned the vacant properties such as the ABC store, which needs roof repairs.
“The roof is falling in and we’re paying insurance on it and there’s nothing there, except brick walls,” Carberry said.
He said town officials should talk about buildings throughout Garland and what they could be used for. Before a vote was made, Murphy stressed that the town does not have a community building for its residents and questioned the next steps to take.
“What is your plan moving forward? Are you going to just wipe them all out and build something nice to house for everybody?
Carberry also mentioned other needs to keep the town functional, such as repairing leaks.
“There’s stuff that needs to be done now to keep the town functional or (Town Clerk Pam Cashwell) and (Deputy Town Clerk Teresa Smith) are going to have an umbrella sitting in the office,” Carberry said.
The board voted 3-2 to send previous minutes and other documents to have the building classified as a storage unit. Commissioners Austin Brown and Eddie Bronson Jr. voted against it.