The Green Mouse says that at today's Board of Public Works meeting, New Albany's deputy mayor announced a steering committee composed of private citizens has been formed to work toward the relocation of the Conway Fire Museum (currently located off Mt. Tabor Road) to the Baptist Tabernacle building on Fourth, which was acquired by the city a week ago.
The building would be restored and house the museum and a proposed public meeting space, thus becoming both a destination for visitors as well as a functional space.
Have you heard anything about this? If so, weigh in.
7 comments:
By my head count, a majority of the city council have strong objections to this use of city money (the building purchase). The steering committee had better have power steering...and good windshield wipers.
I heard the fire museum was going into the old firehouse on West Market near Holiday Inn . . .
NAC - I heard the same from a city official yesterday.
I spoke with the man from the Floyd County Historical something, exact names I've forgotten, who is spearheading the fire museum. I personally had no idea there was a museum-worthy cache of old fire stuff in town, but apparently there is. Off the top of my head, if the city directs a fine old misused historic building in the direction of a non-profit who could share in the cost of renovation, and the public gets access in perpetuity? Why not?
I'd heard about fire museum or meeting space possibilities, but not about the museum and meeting space combo, which is a more interesting idea.
If a deal could be struck for a new city hall in the general vicinity to get us out of renting the 3rd floor, we could have quite the little civic center and possibly save money over the long haul to boot.
I think it's great to see the building saved, and applaud the city for making this move, but . . .
Doesn't the city already own the old Shrader Stables across from the Y? It's been sitting in a state of disrepair for years. The last I heard, there was talk of a transportation grant to fund the restoration.
It's admirable to save these buildings, but only if they really are going to be saved and the necessary renovation will be done--in a timely fashion.
I predict the Schrader stables project will happen, and with private money.
Timeliness is a measurable, and with the tabernacle, I'd say November 2011 would be an absolute deadline for measuring the wisdom of that move.
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