“Bit of an eyesore” the old structure has become

The future of Oconee’s former courthouse is going to be the topic for county council meetings in both January and February, Council Chairman Julian Davis has disclosed today.  One idea is a new roof over the 1956 building that came in with a lot of fanfare, in part, because of its modern features all those years ago.  But county employees have complained to 101.7/WGOG NEWS in recent years that the building is in poor shape and getting worse, ever since it was abandoned for a move to the replacement courthouse nearly 20 years ago.  Developers held a lease for the property and pursued plans to convert it to a hotel, but Council Chairman Davis says the lease has expired after being extended a couple of times.  Builder Tom Markovich is disappointed.  Davis says the building at Walhalla’s Main and S. Church streets has become “a bit of an eyesore” and its condition is counterproductive to the city’s efforts to beautify and further strengthen its core commercial district.