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Editorials - 02/13/03It's time to settle uses of county's historic courthouse |
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Jackson County's historic courthouse sits on a hill, presiding over Sylva's renovated downtown business district with grace and charm. It is the most photographed and most visible symbol of our county and appears in numerous logos as well as on the masthead of this newspaper.
Early industrialist C.J. Harris was the driving force behind moving the county seat to Sylva and constructing the courthouse, and his wisdom and vision are apparent every time we look toward the west end of Main Street. What's going to happen to our courthouse when the Sheriff and Magistrate offices are relocated to new space adjoining the Justice Center? That's a question county commissioners hope will be answered by a nine-member task force to be appointed next week. We hope the new committee will move swiftly to ensure that public access to the local landmark is not compromised or eliminated. Our courthouse has always been open. It served as the seat of county government for 81 years and housed the Sheriff's Office for nine years more. Once the new jail is completed and law enforcement leaves, the courthouse will stand empty for the first time in 90 years. With no one there on a daily basis, the structure will almost certainly be locked. That's just not acceptable. We feel an open, restored courthouse is vital to Sylva's future. The entire building needs to be a museum, and the wonderful old courtroom should be restored to its former glory. Local collector Marion Jones has offered to donate a number of significant items to a courthouse museum. We realize there is a hitch to this scenario - a lease the county signed with Kudzu Players, a community theater group, in 1996. That commitment runs through 2006, and Kudzu has five five-year options to continue the lease. Four years ago, former N.C. Senator Dan Robinson of Cullowhee was on the verge of securing funding through the N.C. Division of Archives and History to help restore the structure. That funding source could not be tapped due to Kudzu's lease. The money was only available to restore historic buildings to their original use. We value Kudzu's contributions, and we want the theater company to continue and thrive. But we don't think one group should control the future of our county's signature building. Here's another question we can't help posing. If an outstanding community chorus and equally proficient community orchestra can perform several times each year at Western Carolina University, why can't our community theater group also take advantage of WCU facilities? Another option would be for Kudzu to stage its productions in the auditorium at the new Scotts Creek School. We believe Kudzu's performances add to the richness of life in Jackson County, but we don't think the best use for a landmark like the Jackson County Courthouse is as an occasional venue for community theater. |
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