It’s been nine months since Demorest announced plans to buy the old Demorest Elementary School for its new city hall. Now, moving day is fast approaching.
Last week, city workers posted signs outside the current city hall on Georgia Street, alerting the public to the move up the hill to Alabama Street. While there’s no exact moving date set yet, city officials expect to be working in their new offices by mid-February.
“We anticipate two to three weeks at the most,” interim city manager Mark Musselwhite tells Now Habersham.
Crews have already moved the customer service counter from the current city hall and are dismantling the cabinets. This week, they’ll start moving computers. During the transition, residents can expect some minor scheduling changes.
“We will have to allow some time to close early so the IT guys can disassemble the software and set it all up here in this new location. We then have to finish moving the office furniture and then have everything ready to go on a Sunday afternoon, so we will be ready to go on a Monday morning,” says Musselwhite.
Despite the disruptions, Demorest City Clerk Megan Chastain remains positive about the move.
“I think it is going to benefit the city greatly. City Hall will have a lot more space and room. In the end, it’s going to be more growth for the city because we plan to use the current city hall as an opportunity to have other businesses locate in and grow the city,” she says.
Renovation and preservation
The Demorest Development Authority purchased the historic school from Two Oaks Limited, LLC, of Gainesville, Georgia, last July for $1 million. The city council is reimbursing that cost and the remainder of the loan taken out for renovations. The plan calls for the city’s police department to move to the school eventually, but before that can be done, the facility has to be renovated.
The city council agreed to phase in those renovations over time.
“Due to the budget and not wanting to bite off more than we can chew, we’re probably looking at two years to get it knocked out,” says Demorest Mayor Jerry Harkness.
Workers have set up the new city offices inside the old school library. A public council meeting room is also in the works. For now, the Demorest City Council continues to meet at the city’s municipal building located on Ivy Street.
By purchasing the historic school building, the city has expanded its workspace, freed up a commercial lot downtown, and preserved a treasured part of Demorest’s history. Many county residents still fondly recall their time as students there. The school closed for good twelve years ago.
Chastain says she looks forward to getting different departments under one roof.
“I think it will be great that we will all be together. Just good all around for the city.”
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After publication of this article, city officials stepped back a comment that said plans include moving the fire department to the new city hall. Demorest City Council member Shawn Allen says, as of now, there is “no concensus” on doing that.
