However, council members are asking for an inspection of the property before leasing it from the county.

City manager Ed Craig said Tuesday the lease agreement would be similar to what the city has with the county regarding the Board of Education building (the old Madison Street School), where the county pays $1 dollar per year and is responsible for the upkeep.

County Mayor Eugene Ray said Wednesday he will have the lease documents ready for the city sometime during the coming week.

Councilman Lee Roy Cunningham pointed out that the roof in the gym is leaking and Craig said he looked into remedies to fix it, which would cost approximately $23,000.

"Frankly, I think they (the county) are trying to give us something we don't need," Cunningham said.

The gym floor has a projected life of four to five years before it needs to be replaced, Craig said. Currently, bad spots in the floor are being patched, he said and replacing the gym floor would cost $80,000 to $100,000.

Councilman Al Stephenson wondered about the status of the heating system and what the costs would be to repair or replace it.

Craig recommended having a qualified expert inspect the building before accepting the agreement.

"Everything needs to be checked into before we start looking at expenditures," Stephenson said. "Things are bad; we don't have that kind of money" for extensive repairs.

The building and other property currently have several uses, including training for the city's fire department and sports practice.

Parks and Recreation director Sylvia Pinson said that basketball practice is conducted inside, along with meetings and events, while soccer and football practice go on at the fenced-in football field behind the building.

Another area of open space behind the building, which was an outdoor track at one point, is used for soccer and baseball practice, Pinson said.