Wartrace town hall gets new look

Mayor Don Gallagher looks over the chaos that currently reigns in Wartrace's town hall, which is being renovated this week. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

There's chaos going on at Wartrace's town hall -- and it has nothing to do with leaking waterlines, the Tullahoma Utilities Board, or who will be playing at MusicFest next year. For the first time in 20 years, the office, which used to be the Bedford County Bank, is getting an interior facelift.

"What we did 20 years ago -- it wore really well," said Laura Gentry. "But in the last couple of years, it's gone down. The people got their money's worth."

At least $10,000 has been budgeted for the project -- for the last three years.

"We're finally getting around to it," said Mayor Don Gallagher. "This is the third renovation project we've done."

Jackson Slade, who specializes in restoration and renovation, is the primary worker on the project. Slade also renovated the old jail house and well house in Wartrace, the other two projects Gallagher referenced.

The work has gone more slowly than hoped for, the mayor said, compounded by Slade's recent illness. Originally, the town hoped to have an open house for the remodeled town hall on the same night it held the official tree lighting -- last Friday. The tree lighting was postponed until 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5.

"It still won't be completely finished," said Gallagher.

"But it will look a lot better than it does right now," said Gentry, laughing, waving at the spackled walls, mountains of sheet plastic-covered boxes, and dust.

Besides basic cosmetic work, some structural repairs had to be made. According to Gallagher, the plaster walls had cracked in several places and had to be mended, and a roof leak had damaged some of the main room's unique pressed-tin ceiling tiles, which had to be replaced.

The walls will be painted soon, and wallpaper placed below the new molding around the room. The old red curtains, torn and faded, are gone, but the loss of the shutters above the wide transom windows is only temporary.

"We like the sun coming in them," said Gentry. "But it gets to roasting in here!"

The old color scheme of red, white and blue is being replaced with green and gold, said Gallagher, who admits he had nothing to do with the selection.

"Being the prudent and wise manager I am," he joked, "I let the ladies in the office coordinate it."

"We actually put it by the alderwomen," said Gentry.

The old red carpet will also be replaced. Patches of it had faded to dingy cream and pink, and other parts were stained. The furniture will remain, but there is one novel addition the town hopes to make when it comes to the main counter.

"We want to model it after a bank teller's cage," said Gallagher. "Make it look the way it used to."

A photograph of the room, when it was Bedford County Bank, is usually on the wall, but it -- like all of the other framed art -- has been stored away until renovations are complete.

As far as Gentry is concerned, that can't be too soon.

"It's crazy," she said about working around the remodeling mess. "We have to cover up everything every night. I think it bothers the customers more than us."

Kim Curbow, who works in the office with Gentry, laughed.

"People come in and look around, then look up and say, 'Oh, the ceiling's nice!'" she said. "I don't know if they mean it or they're just trying to find something nice to say about it all."

The town hall is closed this week as Slade makes the final push to finish. Gentry and Curbow are taking advantage of the locked doors to get caught up on paperwork, but they both said they'll be relieved when everything gets back to normal.

"We're real excited," said Gentry.

Gallagher hopes everyone will be.

"It is important, I think, for the community to have a sense of pride in their town hall," he said.