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Building
condition
good, say
officials
By Randall Rigsbee
In a
unanimous decision last Wednesday, Chatham County commissioners
voted to rebuild the historic courthouse which was badly damaged by
fire two weeks ago.
In a March
31 meeting, commissioners convened for the first time since the fire
occurred to discuss the fire and its origin, the condition of the
still-standing portion of the historic building, status of debris
removal, insurance matters and how to handle traffic through
Pittsboro.
Rebuilding
County
officials say the condition of the remaining portion of the building
appears to be good.
Work on
removing debris was halted temporarily last week and early this week
pending investigation by insurance officials, but county manager
Charlie Horne said the portions of the building which had been
looked at by a structural engineer appear to be "pretty stable."
Some
portions, such as the Probation and Parole offices, sustained "water
damage, but nothing else," Horne said.
David
Hughes, Chatham County’s public works director and an engineer, said
the exterior walls "are still pretty sound, we believe."
more- See Thursday,
April 8, 2010
edition
Hundreds attend street fair
supporting downtown Pittsboro
By John Hunter
After the
fire at the courthouse, Hillsboro Street went from one of the
busiest roads in Pittsboro to a
The road,
along with many others in town, had been closed due to the fire. As
a result, local businesses saw less traffic and some suffered a
financial hit.
In an effort
to bring some aid for the damage, The Circle City Citizens Group to
Rebuild and Revitalize held the first ever Pittsboro Rising Street
Fair on Hillsboro Street.
Hundreds
from across the state came to celebrate and support the local
businesses on Saturday. Even the sidewalks of the recently vacant
Hillsboro Street were jam-packed with festival-goers.
"We just
think it’s the right thing
more- See Thursday,
April 8,
2010
edition |
Jeff Davis photo
A dismal scene . . .
Chatham County fire marshal Tom Bender
stands before an aerial photograph of the Chatham County courthouse
as he talks to the Chatham County Board of Commissioners in a
special meeting last week. The photograph is looking east
towards Raleigh. A potion of the courthouse circle has been
reopened letting traffic flow through the circle city as cleanup and
debris removal continues. In the meeting last week, the county
commissioners voted to rebuild the historical structure.
Pittsboro businesses start to recover in
aftermath of courthouse burning
By Bill Willcox
The fire at
the Chatham County Courthouse had a negative effect of almost all
the businesses in downtown Pittsboro, but the situation is improving
now that the traffic is flowing more smoothly.
As of
Tuesday morning, only the south side of the courthouse circle
required a detour.
Lot Voller,
a member of a citizens committee, visited 15 businesses on Hillsboro
Street last week to assess the impact of the fire.
"I met with
all of the business people between the courthouse and just past
Elizabeth’s Pizza," he said, "as part of a citizen’s committee to
try to get grants from the state and federal government. Almost all
of them have been impacted negatively with the exception of a couple
of lawyers that say are getting very busy. I am not sure why that
is."
He said
Elizabeth’s Pizza reported sales were off 30 percent and an antique
store north of there was off 20 percent.
"The hardest
hit was The Black and White Guy who had virtually no business for a
whole week because no one could get to him," Voller said.
Tony Baker,
who owns the business with his wife Anne, said things have been
picking up a little since Hillsboro Street reopened, but he has been
getting calls from people who wanted to make sure the fire hadn’t
burned down their building
"I suspect
we will survive and that’s a good thing," he said. "It’s hard to
judge the impact because this is a slow time of year anyway."
The Don
Pablos Grocery Store on Hillsboro Street reported a drop of 30
percent in receipts, Voller said.
more- See Thursday,
April 8, 2010
edition
Artifacts saved from
destruction
By John Hunter
Inside an
unused area of Chatham Mills in Pittsboro, Barbara Pugh thumbs
through a scrapbook from 1964 called The Siler City Story, a
guide to civic living.
The book is
in stellar condition, especially considering that along with being
46 years old, it also survived the fire that nearly took down the
courthouse on March 25.
The Siler
City Story is just one of hundreds of pieces of history rescued
from the Chatham County Historical Association Museum that was
housed inside the courthouse.
On the floor of the donated
space in Chatham Mills, the history of Chatham County is organized
by condition of the
more- See Thursday,
April 8, 2010
edition
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