The Statesville City Council celebrated their historically restored chambers Monday night with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of their newly constructed dais. The City Hall building was officially re-opened Monday almost 13 months after it closed for a nearly $2.5 million renovation.
“This is a special time for us,” Mayor Costi Kutteh said during a brief talk that focused on the foresight of those involved with the building over its long history.
“The first people who had a vision for the building were members of the U.S. Congress in the 1870s,” Kutteh said and added that the President Grover Cleveland finally acquiesced in signing off on its construction of what was designed and built as a post office and federal courthouse.
Kutteh said the some of the best money his predecessors on the city council ever spent was the $31,000 they plopped down to purchase the building from the feds and transform it into City Hall. He then saluted the current members of council for taking the step to refurbish it two years ago.
“I think we’ve created something that will endure for some time,” Kutteh said and added that he felt certain the building would still be in use in another century.
Finally Kutteh applauded the work of former Councilwoman Paula Steele who shepherded the project along from start to finish, including the past two months that she has been off the council.
“It was fun every day,” said Steele, who later received a plaque from Kutteh recognizing her 12 years of service on the city council.
The city council finally did get down to business and took action on several items, among them, the council:
n Denied a request by a company called Carolina Aviation Technical Services to operate on a limited basis as a fixed base operator (FBO). The company’s request had already been unanimously recommended for disapproval by the Statesville Airport Commission at the group’s meeting last month and the city council was also unanimous in its vote to deny.
n Voted on matters concerning three different pieces of property the city is considering purchasing.The council approved a $120,000 option to purchase a lot at 128 E. Front St. The final sale is contingent on the results of an environmental assessment of the property, which abuts Parrish Tire. The council also approved the purchase, for $68,500, of 311 S. Meeting St., which is in the vicinity of the Civic Center.
And finally, the council approved the spending of $10,000 for professional services and “due diligence” costs related to the purchase of an undisclosed property.
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