Murphy – Regional differences among Cherokee County commissioners were on display on March 4 over a request from the Town of Murphy over the fate of the old National Guard Armory.
The town and the county share the old armory, located between the town and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel, with the town using its space as a station for the Murphy Rural Fire Department. The county has not decided what to do with its share of the building.
The town proposed that Cherokee County give its portion of the building to improve fire protection services for areas like Andrews, Marble and Peachtree, Murphy Mayor Tim Radford said.
“This plan aimed to reduce the county’s liability, maintenance costs and provide shared community space. This portion of the armory had been empty for five-plus years. Empty buildings don’t age well,” he said. When the request came before the board of commissioners at a special called meeting on March 5, Commissioner Mark Stiles, who represents Marble and Peachtree, argued strongly on behalf of the proposal, saying it would improve fire protection. He added that the town saved the county a significant amount of money by exempting it from a sidewalk requirement for a building project behind Murphy Elementary School.
The town council granted the county an exemption from its sidewalk ordinance for an upcoming two- or three-story building project near the health department, saving the county about $237,200, Radford said.
“This decision was made to prevent project delays and avoid causing the county undue hardship,” he said.
The exemption leaves the project without sidewalks, which the town would have to pay for in the future.
Commissioner Ben Adams followed Mark Stiles’ lead, However, Hiwassee Dam Commissioner Alan Bryant said he had plans for the property, without going into specifics, and then deferred to Andrews Commissioner Cal Stiles.
Cal Stiles suggested the town pay $200,000 for the county’s portion of the building, adding that it would be unfair to county taxpayers and other volunteer fire departments to just give away the rest of the building. The town is in better financial shape than the county and can easily afford it, he added.
Cal Stiles offered three suggestions for the property:
- Sell its portion to the town for $200,000.
- Declare it surplus and list it for sale with a starting price of $200,000.
- Consider using it as a county-run animal control building.
A motion to give the remainder of the building to the town failed on a 2-3 vote, with Chair Dan Eichenbaum voting with Bryant and Cal Stiles. Eichenbaum said the county has a right to determine the value of the property before just giving it away.
Radford remained upbeat about Murphy’s plan.
“The town is confident that continued dialogue will lead to a solution that will benefit all residents,” he said.
The facility was originally funded by the state, then given to Cherokee County. According to a town report, the commissioners originally gave a portion of the property to the Town of Murphy for the construction of a fire station. Due to immediate needs, the town purchased a portion of the facility for $200,000 primarily to benefit the areas of the county and returned the donated portion of property.
This acquisition was beneficial particularly for the Murphy Rural Fire District given the current and future anticipated growth in this portion of the rural district. As a result, in 2021 the Murphy Rural insurance rating was improved to a PPC 4 and the Town of Murphy a PPC 3.
This not only improved the fire departments’ efficiency to provide fire protection, but also had a positive impact on commercial insurance premiums.
Town officials said the facility has the potential to be a community asset. With improvements, it could include a community meeting and conference room, with additional space to support all emergency services in times of need.