In a unanimous vote, the Vance County Board of Commissioners elected to sell the First National Bank building and use the proceeds from the sale to fund display kiosks to be placed in McGregor Hall.
County Manager Jerry Ayscue, when presenting the recommendations of the County Intergovernmental Committee and Property Committee, reported that the committees had recommended that the building be sold without a transfer of title and that funds left over from the sale be divided equally between the City of Henderson and Vance County.
Ayscue admitted that he did not know the value of the building. He advised commissioners that it may be wise to have the building appraised.
County Commissioner Terry Garrison led off some initial dissent, stating that he thought that his committee had agreed that the County would allocate a portion of the proceeds, not all of the proceeds.
Ayscue reiterated that the City and County would split what remained.
Commissioner Eddie Wright also stated that he thought that there would be “some left over”.
Clarifying the problem, Commissioner Dan Brummitt said that at the time of the meeting of his committee that members were not aware of the amount of the offer that had been tendered. He said that it might be best to get an appraisal before proceeding. Brummitt also said that nothing had been heard from the library about whether or not they want [the museum] there.
County Commissioner Scott Hughes noted that if the First National Bank building is sold, the museum will also require funds to move.
Deborah Brown, the Chair of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, noted that the issue had been through two committees.
“We need to tweak what we have,” she said.
Brown stated that the Board seemed to be at odds about appraisal. She said that the issue needed to be readdressed and that the committees should come back to the Board with recommendations that both committees agree to.
Brown went on to say that her committee, the Property Committee, was not led to believe that the value of the building was $60,000.
At the Henderson City Council meeting of April 30, Tem Blackburn of the Vance County Historical Society told Council members that an offer of $60,000 had been received for the building. The offer was reported by both Home in Henderson and The Daily Dispatch.
“We need a plan of action,” Brown told the Board. She also stated a need for an agreement involving the library before moving on.
Garrison stated that he works next door to the building and assured the Commission that it was in poor condition.
Ayscue added that the HVAC is “defunct” and that the plastering inside the building is in need of repair.
At Ayscue’s instigation and with the commissioners’ assent, Blackburn was allowed to speak directly to the Board. He indicated that the offer for the building that had been received was $55,000 from a trust in cash. He told the Board that it was not a final offer.
He informed commissioners that with the offer, which was not a final offer, the museum would be allowed to stay for twelve months.
Blackburn characterized the $55,000 offer as “one unsolicited offer”.
Blackburn said that he had spent “fifteen minutes” in the Register of Deeds office that afternoon to research sales prices. He said that the First National Bank building was purchased by the City and County for $45,000 in 1991. The O’Neill Building, he said, which has since been fully restored, was purchased for $404,000 in 1990. The Nation’s Bank Building, he said, was purchased in 1996 for $115,000. The People’s Drug Store was purchased in 1999 for $94,000 and the Henderson Traveller Building was sold in 1994 for $75,000.
Blackburn offered the information to give commissioners a “frame of reference” for cost.
The historical advocate said that it was “probably a good idea” to have an appraisal done, but noted that it would cost between $1,500 and $2,000.
Blackburn also noted that there existed a federal matching funds grant for museums and libraries that funds design services. He cited this as an example of additional funds that could be brought in.
Commissioner Danny Wright asked if Blackburn had the endorsement of the library trustees.
Blackburn responded that the library has no interest in McGregor Hall and that the Embassy Foundation board would take up the request. He indicated that he did not anticipate a problem, as the kiosks have no operational expense attached to them.
Blackburn also noted a continuity of exhibits and the library, meaning that interest sparked by exhibits could be further researched in the library.
Danny Wright responded that without Embassy Foundation board approval that the Historical Society “may be getting all dressed up with no place to go”.
When asked by Garrison, Blackburn stated that $76,000 would cover the entire cost of the Historical Society’s proposal.
Blackburn added that the Historical Society has funds they might be willing to use as well.
“Do you want a museum?” Blackburn asked, citing the question as the “real issue”. He said that the current museum isn’t working.
Blackburn stated that there are things in the museum that “few” in the county know about, such as the opening of the American west and the involvement of Richard Henderson.
“Black people from our area were some of the most remarkable in the United States,” Blackburn went on to say.
He gave examples of John Chavis and Charlotte Hawkins Brown as “a great heritage our people ought to know about”.
When asked by Brummitt whether exhibits would be protected from the public, Blackburn said that security cameras may be needed. He said that one of the benefits of the display system was that panels could be replaced. Describing their composition, he said that they are comprised of laminated posterboard framed by metal. He described them as “very sturdy”.
Danny Wright then suggested that the proposal by “tweaked” by adding that an appraisal be obtained, as well as approval by the Embassy Foundation, before moving forward with the sale.
Hughes introduced a motion that the First National Bank be sold and the proceeds used for displays, with the excess to be divided between the City and the County, contingent upon an appraisal and the approval of the Embassy Foundation Board, and that the sale price should be “close” to that of the appraisal.
On April 30, the City voted to follow the County’s plan, which did not include the approval of the Embassy Foundation, an appraisal, or a qualification of sales price at the time the City Council voted. It is unclear if the City Council’s vote is still binding since the County’s plan has changed.
City Council member Bobby Gupton, who was present at the County Commission meeting during the debate, commented to Home in Henderson that the County was “putting the city in the museum business”.