Justices of the peace said Monday night the county needs a maintenance commitment from the next tenant of the old Hot Springs National Guard Armory before they commit to the building's long-term preservation.
The National Register of Historic Places site has sat idle since early spring when CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs closed the Hot Springs Senior Center the hospital had operated at 210 Woodbine St. since 1991. The hospital leased the building from the county for $1 a year, according to a December 2001 lease agreement.
The Area Agency on Aging of West Central Arkansas, which funded programs offered at the center, said Tuesday seniors have been invited to receive services at the CHI St. Vincent McAuley Center in Hot Springs Village, but that it's north Garland County location isn't convenient for seniors who rely on public transportation. Food for the Meals on Wheels program is prepared at the McAuley Center.
The county has been without a senior center since mold problems caused by a leaky roof closed the Woodbine location.
"That leaves seniors without anything," Billie Holsomback, the Area Agency on Aging's director of marketing and community affairs, said Tuesday. "They miss the socialization that goes on as well as the congregate meals that were served.
"Socialization is very important to seniors. For a lot of them, it's the only people they see all day. It keeps them from having to sit in their homes all day and helps keep them out of nursing homes. That's our whole mission."
The agency said the Department of Arkansas Heritage Historical Preservation Restoration grant it applied for on behalf of the county to repair the roof and abate the mold problem has been approved. Receipt of the funds is conditioned on finding a match for the grant and the county agreeing to a conservation easement that commits it to the building's preservation.
The agency said it's been in discussions with CHI St. Vincent, Hot Springs and Garland County about providing the roughly $39,000 match for the $112,000 project.
Mark Christ, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program community outreach director, said Tuesday that the easement ensures buildings that benefit from AHPP grants retain their historic character. He said conservation easements have been granted for the Visitors Chapel AME Church, 319 Church St., and John L. Webb House, 403 Pleasant St.
The real estate transfer tax is the primary funding source for the grant program, he said.
"If you receive a grant, one of the requirements is the donation of a conservation easement on the property," Christ said. "It protects the taxpayer's investment in the property. Our easements don't allow the owner to make any changes, typically to the exterior, without first clearing it with our agency.
"That way we make sure the taxpayer's money is protected in perpetuity. The easement attaches to the property forever."
The Garland County Quorum Court Environmental Services, Public Works and Building Committee advanced to the full quorum court Monday night a resolution granting the easement, but several JPs said the building's next tenant needs to commit to a maintenance agreement before the quorum court takes action.
The 2001 lease with Mercy Hospital, now CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, made the hospital responsible for maintenance, but County Judge Rick Davis told the committee the building had fallen into disrepair.
"The problem is the hospital hasn't maintained it over the years like it should be," he said. "There's going to have to be a good maintenance agreement put in place."
County Attorney John Howard told the committee the easement will limit what the county can do with the building.
"The easement is in perpetuity," he said. "So if the quorum court authorizes it and the easement is signed, it's permanent. That will prevent you from making major changes to the facade of the building or tearing it down. It commits you to maintaining it.
"It's a significant burden if you get to that level."
According to the January 2017 application to add the building to the National Register of Historic Places, it was built in 1937 for $40,000 by the Works Progress Administration and repurposed into a senior center in 1982.
Local on 07/18/2018