There's an old saying: "Look before you leap."
The former Connellsville City Council, which commissioned a feasibility study on the 100-year-old former National Guard armory after spending $50,000 on the building, should have heeded that elementary advice.
Now the current city council is stuck with a dilemma. Council members must try to sell the former armory or continue to pay the building's mortgage. Council was able to renegotiate a mortgage with the state, agreeing to pay $5,600 annually for six years. Council members also agreed to seek bids for the property at this month's meeting.
But again, can the city really afford this⢠We think not.
We had a bad feeling about the future of the armory after the results of a feasibility study conducted by L.F. Gilberti Architects Inc. of Pittsburgh, which identified a litany of needs at the 108 W. Washington Ave. property.
To meet modern construction standards, renovations were estimated several years ago to cost between $125 to $150 per square foot or a total of $1.88 million to $2.34 million.
And that's with an estimated 5 percent to 8 percent increase in costs each year — with no end in sight.
The city set aside $110,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant money for renovations. Officials also sought other grants. A veterans group and a former resident pledged money to the project. But after several years and the project going nowhere, they opted out.
City officials also asked for help from private citizens and businesses in the community. More than $16,000 was raised, which Mayor Charles Matthews said will have to be paid back when the building is sold.
Don't get us wrong. Planners had good intentions for the historic building, including a museum for war veterans and space for community or private functions. It would have been a great addition to the community and a good way to keep this historic building alive in our city. And at the time we even supported the ideas.
But good intentions, no matter how altruistic, sometimes don't pay — certainly not for bricks and mortar.
