Dalton officials visiting Acworth to get ideas

DALTON — Members of the Dalton City Council hope a restaurant in Acworth might be a model for the future of the historic train depot here that once housed the Dalton Depot and Trackside Tavern.

Members of the council will travel to Acworth on Wednesday to have dinner at Gabriel’s and to talk to officials with Jeremiah Consulting.

Jeremiah was one of two companies, the other being Dalton-based Barrett Development Strategies, to respond to a request for proposals for the depot in August. Jeremiah has a history of renovating historic properties and converting them into “third places,” which refers to places separate from home or work such as cafes, restaurants and parks. Some of its developments include Gabriel’s, a restaurant and bakery in an 1800s mill, and The Nest Kennesaw, a barbecue and craft beer restaurant built from two historic houses in downtown Kennesaw.

The city, which owns the depot, closed the building in November 2015, citing conditions that “posed potential health hazards to the public,” including mold.

In June, the City Council agreed to pay restaurant owner T.J. Kaikobad $80,000 for his lost food inventory and business from the closing of the building, and to forgive more than $20,000 he owed in back rent and taxes.

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