GENTRY -- An old house viewed as an unsafe eyesore and sentenced to demolition was granted a reprieve and possibly new life by the Gentry council at its Monday night meeting.
The old house, referred to as the Porter and Bartley property located at 105 N. Rust Ave., was donated to the city and was to be demolished, making way for additional parking and possibly a pocket park on the property. But information and a plea from Rhiannon Parker convinced the city council to spare the old house -- at least for now -- and to authorize Parker to pursue saving and restoring the old home because of its historic significance to Gentry.
The house has a history in Gentry dating back to Gentry's beginning when the railroad was built through the city. As it turns out, the home slated for destruction was built during the middle 1890s and was one of several homes built for railroad workers in the town. Another such home was restored by Parker's father and serves as his office. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, something Parker hopes to do with this old house as well.
Parker told the council, both at a committee meeting last week and at Monday's regular meeting, the old house could be restored with grant funding and might be able to be used by the city for a museum or to house historical archives. She said it might also be used as a starting point for tours of other historic homes and buildings within the city.
The first step, Parker said, is to submit the paperwork to get the old home listed on the National Register. Once that is done, she said it is likely the city could apply for and receive grant funding to restore the house. She said she was familiar with the necessary paperwork because the paperwork filed on the home which serves as her father's office is now the model for other applications for structures to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Council members asked her regarding the time frame, and she said the paperwork could be submitted in August, with a decision made shortly afterward on the structure.
In the meantime, Parker suggested the city put a temporary cover over the hole in the roof, even if it is putting a tarp on it to keep the water out. She said the structure itself is solid but work needs to be done to save the porch from further decay.
Parker estimated the house could be fully restored for approximately $73,000, adding that there was grant funding available which would likely cover most of those costs.
Councilman James Furgason said he thought the restoration project was a "wonderful opportunity" for the city and a project which could encourage more renovation and restoration of historic structures in Gentry.
The council voted to hold off on demolition plans and pursue the possibility of restoring the house. The resolution authorized the spending of up to $2,500 to cover the hole in the roof and preserve the porch, as well as to put up signs indicating the city is working toward restoring the home and is not simply ignoring a dilapidated structure on its own property.
In other business, the council passed on its final two readings an ordinance allowing for and regulating mobile food vendors within the city. It also passed by resolution a set of rules -- which can be changed by the council as needed -- for mobile food vendors.
Two other ordinances were passed -- on three readings with a single vote and with emergency clauses attached. One regulates how farmers' markets are operated within the city and the other clarifies and recodifies city law regarding late payment fees on city water bills.
According to Jay Williams, city attorney, the city has been following the ordinance passed in 1976 but somehow parts of that ordinance were omitted from city code when ordinances were codified. The ordinance changes nothing, but it clears up confusion and questions caused by past errors in the codification process.
Also passed by the council were resolutions granting a tract split for Angela Wilmoth Beeler, sewer relief on the sewer bills due in June through September for those who water gardens and lawns or fill swimming pools, and authorizing the city to pay overtime to public works department employees.
General News on 04/08/2015