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Despite some confusion, the City of Winder is continuing forward in its attempts to receive a Community Development Block Grant, which would initially be used to assist in the rehabilitation of the Granite Hotel in the city’s downtown.
While Tuesday night’s council meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather, the City discussed in its work session and consequent public hearing, the costs of keeping historic buildings operable.
The Winder Downtown Development Authority holds ownership of the Granite Hotel currently and, according to City Administrator Bob Beck, the City has put $526,000 into it already.
Initially purchased to be torn down to make way for a parking deck, the building — the largest still-standing, locally quarried granite structure in the state — has been the object of a push to keep history alive and functional in the City.
At the rescheduled council meeting — which will take place, Tuesday, March 9 — the City will vote on whether to pass a resolution approving the submission of the Community Development Block Grant application for $500,000, which would be used to begin Granite Hotel renovations.
In order to submit the application, the Council also will have to pass a resolution declaring the Granite Hotel a blighted area.
The proposed resolution reads that "The City of Winder has documented that the property located at 52 North Broad Street is a blighting influence under local standards, detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare and that the property’s deterioration is negatively affecting the surrounding neighborhood, community facilities and local tax base ..."
And while people seem to be vastly in favor of the project, there was some concern when the council began to discuss the financial commitment letter the City will have to send into the state’s Department of Community Affairs regarding the building.
"The estimated cost for this project is $1,229,329. The City of Winder will provide a cash match for this project in the amount of $729,329. Please accept this letter as assurance that this amount is available and committed from the City of Winder general fund for this project," the letter reads.Council member Bob Dixon, who is a liaison between the DDA and the City Council, said he thought the city would not have to put that much money into the project.
Dixon spoke about how members of Barrow’s Historical and Preservation Societies might be able to help with grant money.
Members of those groups were in attendance at the meeting, as a public hearing was scheduled for Monday evening regarding the application for the block grant.
Hasko Craver of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission was at the Winder Community Center to moderate the public hearing and to explain a little bit about what the grant could mean for downtown.
The grant is reinvestable, which is to say that the money received from renting store space in the Granite Hotel could be placed in funds and be used to purchase and fix up other blighted buildings in Winder.
The DDA, which owns the Granite Hotel, would have to keep ownership of the building for 20 years in order to not have to pay the loan back.
Gwen Hill, a member of the Barrow Preservation Society, shared her thoughts at the meeting.
She stated that the organization, which will hopefully receive its 501(c)3 non-profit status within the next month, is actively searching for grants and money that may be out there to help offset the costs of the work.
Mike Rice, the Chairman of the Winder DDA, also spoke at the public hearing, stating the organization supported the renovations at the Granite Hotel, because it could jump-start the area.
