Winder officials and city councilmen are continuing to weigh the future of the old train depot on Porter Street currently occupied by the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce, and most councilmen agree there should be more efforts made on one or both sides to mend public relations between the two parties.
Last week, at a council finance, administration and benefits committee meeting, councilmen held preliminary discussions about the possibility of selling the building, perhaps even to the chamber.
“We need to start getting away from renting buildings to businesses and organizations and turning it over to them to own and maintain,” councilman Travis Singley said.
But council members agreed the city should first get the building appraised and assess the cost of repairs needed to the building.
In December, council voted 4-1 to end the chamber’s lease at the end of this year. Mayor David Maynard said at the time the city has been exploring other potential uses for the building, while some current and former councilmen have suggested the chamber has not worked in the best interests of the city.
But since then, two new councilmen — Chris Akins and Jimmy Terrell — have come on board since being elected in November and have expressed support for the chamber, which has occupied the building since the 1970s, remaining there.
See more in the Feb. 28 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.
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