A Disappointing Decision

To the Editor:

The 1875 E. J. Knesek building is scheduled for demolition. The City Council choose to ignore their own ordinance and pass the application submitted by the Fayetteville Community Center Group. Ironically you can read about the history of the building on their website and hear former County Judge Weber talking about the importance of saving old buildings and how they make stronger communities.

The people behind the Fayetteville Community Center & Performance Theater requested and received a permit to demolish and destroy an historic building, one of the oldest and largest, over the objection of the majority of the people who have for years contributed their efforts to identify solutions to historic preservation, the Fayetteville Historic Preservation Board. I serve on this board as secretary and was one of the no votes.

As Fayetteville changes and attracts new people, we will have new opportunities and new problems. We will need even more people contributing their efforts to identify priorities and find solutions.

This was the first time the Board said a hard “no” to plans surrounding an historic building. This was the first time the City Council overrode the preservation board on such a weighty matter.

Perhaps the Council had good reason to do so. But no record meeting the requirements of the City Ordinance was developed or put forward. It was a railroad job. We still did not receive the Historic Structural Engineer’s report in writing or financial statements of costs involved from contractors.

How will the City of Fayetteville attract and keep citizens working on city committees, for parks, or for other community projects if – at the first sign of disagreement – a petitioner can get the City Council to disregard its own ordinances and mow over the wishes of those the Council has asked to help do the business of the city?

Pat Johnson Fayetteville