The Habersham County Board of Commissioners has postponed a decision on what to do with the old county courthouse. Commissioners were set to vote on a memorandum of understanding that would have allowed the property to be sold to a local developer for $10. Instead, they voted during their Monday night work session to table the matter.
The MOU is part of a redevelopment plan for downtown Clarkesville pitched to elected officials by developer Lew Oliver. In exchange for essentially giving him the property, Oliver agreed to invest $6.5 million dollars to revitalize the old courthouse building and grounds.
Commissioner Bruce Harkness was the first commissioner to voice strong opposition to the plan.
“I have received many, many taxpayers saying they’re against it because this smacks of exactly what the former commissioners did with the hospital when they basically gave our hospital away,” he tells Now Habersham, referring to the agreement reached between the county and Northeast Georgia Health System in 2018.
Other deals for the old courthouse property have fallen through, adding to the sense of urgency to move forward. The building is decaying and needs a new roof which Habersham County Facilities Manager Mike Bramlett priced at $100,000. Still, the ’60s-style yellow brick building sits on prime real estate and there’s potential value in that for taxpayers Harkness and others say.
“That property is worth $1,240,000,” says former attorney Doug McDonald, citing figures he says he pulled from Oliver’s redevelopment plan. “Why give it to him for $10?”
Commissioners heard from two potential investors – Shad Hill and Jeff Higgins – who expressed interest in obtaining the property. They say they’re interested in possibly turning it into a high-end senior living community for people 55 and up.
Higgins and his wife operate Graceful Care, an assisted living facility and retirement community in Clarkesville.
“It’s a need that’s in this community and it’s still growing. We look at that [the old courthouse] as another place that we could grow that business and keep it with the look of the community.”
Although commissioners pulled the MOU from their regular meeting agenda after tabling it in the work session, some who came to speak on the matter still had their say. Former Habersham County Republican Party Chair Carl Blackburn urged commissioners not to set their sights on a sole developer.
“We don’t need to be picking winners and losers. That’s not what we do,” Blackburn said.
Tabling the measure gives commissioners time to get the property appraised and develop requests for proposals (RFPs). Those requests could require interested developers to outline their goals for the property and would also take into consideration things such as a development’s impact on the tax base and job creation, as well as the length of time it would take to build out the project.
“All of these things that we might possibly want to know to make the best decision about what to do with the property,” says Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn.
Pickelball 3, Tennis 2
While county officials are taking more time to consider what to do with the old courthouse, they’re moving ahead with plans for pickelball courts.
Commissioners voted 3-2 Monday night to enter into a contract with a Woodstock-based company to resurface two of the county’s four recreation department tennis courts into six pickleball courts. The project will cost county taxpayers $88,738.
Commissioners Bruce Palmer, Ty Akins, and Bruce Harkness voted to approve the resurfacing project. Commissioners Dustin Mealor and Jimmy Tench voted against it.
The vote drew applause from pickleballers who packed into Monday night’s meeting to make another appeal for the county courts – something they’ve been pushing for since last year.
“We’ve got a lot of new players and it’s just growing. I mean, we’re just running out of room,” says Jane Childs who was among those pleased by the commission’s vote.
The loss of two lighted courts is a disappointment to tennis players in the county many of whom, until recently, were under the mistaken impression that the county was going to build a new pickleball complex (that project was nixed due to cost). When they realized the county intended to reduce the number of tennis courts available to them and their children to play on, they circulated an online petition and collected around 500 signatures.
Even that, though, was not enough to sway commissioners. The writing appeared to be on the wall April 6 when the county’s public information officer Carolyn Gibson sent out a “PSA” to the public outlining the availability of tennis courts in cities and at schools around the county.
“Habersham County works to provide solutions for all citizens and ensure the use of all public facilities to their fullest potential,” the public service announcement said. “Therefore, the Habersham County Board of Commissioners is pleased to share that numerous public facilities in Habersham County located outside of the Ruby C. Fulbright Aquatic Center, including tennis courts, are now available.”
Tennis players point out that not all of the courts the county is trying to steer them to are in good shape, lighted, or always publicly available.
“This discussion is not about pickleball versus tennis,” said Paula Wonders, a tennis mom who became a leading voice in opposition to the resurfacing project. “It’s about retaining resources rather than losing resources.”
Wonders and other tennis players and supporters offered to help fundraise to pay for new pickleball courts. But, in the end, it was the commissioners who lobbed the last volley. Now, with new courts going in at the rec department and Mary Street Park, Habersham will likely be home to eight pickleball courts and two fewer tennis courts by the end of this year.
