Mount Vernon Community House to Be Torn Down

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Because of extensive damage to the Mount Vernon Community House’s walls and structure, engineers have determined that the House must be torn down. The City of Mount Vernon is currently working to secure a grant to rebuild a similar rustic structure with modern methods.

The Mount Vernon Community House, located along U.S. Highway 280 and known as the City’s “log cabin,” was first built in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s with funds raised by the Mount Vernon Garden Club, local citizens and with government aid. During the construction, no treated construction materials were used, helping to add to the building’s rustic charm, but also causing the cabin to be susceptible to the elements.

Last December, city officials discovered that the House’s end walls had shifted over time, causing noticeable gaps between the wall and the floor and around the window. The City immediately ceased renting the facility to the public and hosting events in the building, and filed a claim with the Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency (GIRMA), as city officials initially believed that the damage may have occurred during Hurricane Helene, because of the extensive roof damage that had to be repaired after the storm.

On March 12, GIRMA released an official report on the damage, which was completed by a structural engineer who surveyed the damage. The engineer found that the damage had not occurred from Hurricane Helene, but from termites. eating away at the walls and destroying the material, wear and tear, and deterioration, causing the wood on the roof surface, exterior log framing, floor joist framing, and wood floor decking to rot.

Insurance will not cover the repair of the building and will not allow anyone to go into the building to work on it because of the state of the structure.

“It’s sickening,” Mount Vernon Mayor Joey Fountain emphasized. “I hate it. We have done so much work and spent so much money trying to keep the Community House up, and this finding was completely unexpected.”

Fountain said that over the years, he and the Mount Vernon City Council have worked to replace all of the windows in the building, redone the floors, and renovated the kitchen, along with recently replacing the roof after Hurricane Helene. “We understand that the Community House is a cornerstone in the community, and we have done our best to take care of it. It was built in 1937 without anything being treated, so it has truly outlived its time because it has been very taken care of,” he remarked.

He explained that fixing the structure would cost much more than merely rebuilding the facility, as every wall would have to be taken apart because of the logs being interlocked. “It would cost us more to fix than rebuild and it still wouldn’t be the same because we would have to take it completely apart and could not use the same timbers,” Fountain shared. “I have grown up having events and celebrations in the building – so I understand the heartbreak of it being torn down – but, in some circumstances, you have to move on.”

According to Fountain, the City has been working with an architect to develop plans for a new community center, which will have the same rustic feel of the current building and similar wooden beams showcased on the inside, but will be built with treated materials and using modern methods. The center is also slated to be larger than the Community House, making it able to accommodate bigger events and celebrations.

Last month, Fountain and the Mount Vernon City Council agreed to apply for the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Loan and Grant Assistance to help fund the construction of a new Community Center. This program would provide 75% of the funding from the USDA, and the City would only be responsible for paying for 25% of the new build. The City will learn if they have been selected for the program in coming months.

Overall, Fountain said that currently, no exact time of demolition has been set for the Community House.