On March 23, 2022, we asked all parties involved to “Get off the treadmill” with regards to the development of the old courthouse property in Clarkesville. And we have been asking for the old courthouse to be demolished for the better part of a decade.
The building is almost 60 years old, and is nothing more than a moldy eyesore. It sits rotting on a piece of prime property in the heart of our county seat. The property could be a real asset to Clarkesville and Habersham County, but here we still sit with nothing resolved. That property has been off the tax rolls for more than 100 years.
First, we heard the property was worth more with the building demolished, so former County Manager Phil Sutton made plans to demolish it. But the commissioners at the time put a stop to it, citing the presence of a developer who wanted to use the building.
Then Lew Oliver, the Development Authority and the city of Clarkesville developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Habersham County to allow Oliver to develop the property at a personal investment of $6.5 million.
If – and only if, mind you – Oliver met all the requirements laid out in the MOU for the successful renovation and development of the property, he would purchase the property for $10.
That rubbed some folks the wrong way, as it seemed like we were giving away the courthouse “like we gave away our hospital,” as many in the community cried out.
However, with the requirements in the MOU, Oliver would have been held to a timeline to get the property developed and back on the tax rolls.
Vice-Chairman Bruce Harkness, a longtime opponent of previous courthouse plans that have been made, told the board a year ago that there was a local developer willing to pay $500,000 for the property. That offer has not emerged to the knowledge of the community, and we are left right back where we started.
As a community, we dropped the ball on Oliver’s development, and now we are scrambling to find a suitable use for the property once again.
Leaders from the county and the city have talked to get on the same page, but the bids are still on hold because of Clarkesville’s apartment moratorium.
It is good that the bodies are communicating, but we still are not getting anywhere, continuing on the proverbial treadmill.
Clarkesville has said their moratorium has “absolutely nothing” to do with the courthouse, and yet, the county is not taking bids on it until that is resolved. Draw whatever conclusions you wish, but the bottom line is the gears of progress have grinded to a halt.
The old courthouse saga must end and the sooner the better. The trophy gold eyesore is a constant reminder to everyone who passes by of a long standing issue that could be such an opportunity. The time is now.
We must get off the treadmill several generations of elected officials have kept us on.