County commissioners expected to vote on purchase of building in downtown Dalton

Published 1:30 pm Friday, November 8, 2024

Members of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners are considering buying an office building across from the courthouse.

The commissioners meet Monday at 6 p.m. in the meeting room in the courthouse. The meeting will be livestreamed on the county’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

On the agenda is a $1.207 million agreement with Maurice M. Sponcler Jr., Henry C. Tharpe Jr., Ann C. Kemp and Crawford Street Investors to buy the building at 225 W. King St.

“Buildings near the courthouse don’t come for sale often, so this was a good opportunity at an attractive price,” said board Chairman Jevin Jensen. “Longer-term the accountability courts need a home more suitable than the current old church.”

Drug Court, Domestic Violence Court and Mental Health Court offices are currently in a county building at 301 W. Crawford St., which was formerly a church.

County officials are also looking at what to do with the county’s administrative offices, which are now in the Wells Fargo building in downtown Dalton.

“The Wells Fargo building is unofficially for sale but not at an attractive price for the county,” said Jensen. “We are concerned a new owner might terminate our lease, so we’d have to move our staff to the Tharpe building. However, it is not big enough for even the current staff long-term.”

The commissioners are also set to vote on:

— A request by Miguel Arredendo to rezone from rural residential to general agriculture 7.434 acres on Airport Road, Dalton.

— A request by Michael and Leta Atkins to rezone from low-density, single-family residential to rural residential 1.58 acres on Johnson Road, Dalton.

— A request by Raul Bibiano to rezone from general commercial to rural residential 0.88 of an acre at 2751 Old Tilton Road, Dalton.

— A request by Hollis Holdings to rezone from general agriculture to planned unit development 14.62 acres on Cleveland Highway, Dalton.

— A request by Austin King to rezone from low-density, single-family residential to general commercial 3.91 acres on Welcome Hill Circle, Dalton.

— A request by Lixandro Ramirez to rezone from rural residential to suburban agriculture 6.5 acres at 421 New Zion Hill Road, Dalton.

— A request by Scott Anthony Sides to rezone from rural residential to general agriculture 25.47 acres at 3349 Oscar Nance Road, Tunnel Hill.

— A request by Tanya and William Vasbinder to rezone from general agriculture to suburban agriculture seven acres at 5468 Blair Road, Cohutta.

— A request by Daniel and Louise Wise to rezone from general agriculture to low-density, single-family residential 10.04 acres on Tucker School Road and Hopewell Road, Cohutta.

At their October meeting, the members of the Dalton-Varnell-Whitfield County Planning Commission recommended approval of all of the requests except for Bibiano, which they recommended be denied.