City officials debate putting Blue Building on market

How much is the Blue Building worth?

McMinnville officials will soon find out after a proposal to get the building appraised moved forward, but selling it was defeated.

Building and Grounds Committee members Billy Wood, Jimmy Haley and Patti Nunley were divided during a Tuesday meeting to deem the building as surplus, get an appraisal, and put it on the market.

Wood moved to do all three. However, Nunley questioned if it would be better to ‘take the step of appraisal and then discuss the idea of selling’ once the information has been obtained.

Unlike Nunley, who is in favor of at least one of the three, Haley questioned why any move is being made at all.

‘I didn’t think this was the direction we were going,’ Haley said. ‘We still have a need for a facility. We’ve discussed leaving the police department here and doing some things here as well, since it is so centrally located.’

Officials made a tentative step toward preservation ‘ not liquidation ‘ when they consulted MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation to perform building conservation services and provide research and analysis on the building.

A preservation group traveled to McMinnville and conducted an analysis of the Blue Building on Feb. 20 to determine what needs to be done to keep it. Shortly thereafter, the group sent a list of preservation needs. Still to come will be a list of possible uses.

Hearing the hesitancy of his fellow members, Wood added, ‘Before you can declare it surplus, it has to go to the board. We are just trying to get some direction and then discuss what to do.’

Although not on the committee but available for the discussion, Aldermen Bobby Kirby and Rick Barnes, as well as Mayor Royce Davenport and Vice Mayor Donald Hillis, voiced their opinion that only the appraisal should be done at this time.

When Wood asked for a vote on his move to do all three, Nunley and Haley voted against it and the move was defeated. Immediately following, Nunley moved to proceed with an appraisal only.

The vote passed 2-1, with Nunley and Wood voting for it and Haley voting against it. It is estimated an appraisal on the 60,000-square-foot building will cost the city around $1,000.