Development Authority meets, discusses Sixth Cavalry Museum

Fort Oglethorpe’s Downtown Development Authority met Monday, Aug. 20, and its opening discussion centered on the Sixth Cavalry Museum building.

An earlier proposal to buy the Old Post Gym building and move the museum into that building fizzled.

The deal fell through when the museum board and the city of Fort Oglethorpe could not reach an agreement on who would pay for maintenance of the Old Post Gym building.

Originally there was a total of $350,000 in historic preservation SPLOST (special-purpose local-option sales tax) money available to make the purchase.

The Sixth Cavalry Museum, with the decision made to remain in its current location, now must work to bring the building into compliance for the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act and make the building handicap-accessible.

Catoosa County will pay for these upgrades with $150,000 in funding. According to Chris McKeever, executive director for the museum, “This is a win-win proposition for both the county and the museum, as well as the city to whom the building belongs.”

Once this happens, McKeever said, the museum can begin advertising along Interstate 75 to help attract more tourists to the museum.

In other business, it was announced that the DDA’s refresh committee will hold a public meeting in September with Jaeger Co. to discuss the revitalization of the entrance to Chickamauga Battlefield on LaFayette Road.

The DDA’s role in this effort is still being discussed, DDA chairman Jeff Epperson said, but the DDA is looking at being involved with developing businesses, as well as facilitating builders and investors.

According to Epperson, any other roles must be decided by the DDA.

Epperson also asked the DDA, consisting of Louis Hamm, Harold Silcox, Bruce Fine, Derek Rogers and Karen Goodlett, what their intentions are as to the future of Fort Oglethorpe’s popular cruise-in event. There are apparently some audit questions that must be addressed.

It was decided that the DDA would finish out the year with the cruise-in (September and October) and then look for other options if the event was to remain a part of the city’s cultural activities. Epperson announced that one possible change might be a move to private property at Gateway Mall on Cloud Springs Road.