Cocke County approves agreement to convert Memorial Building to women’s recovery housing with historic-preservation conditions
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Summary
The Cocke County Legislative Body approved a Memorandum of Agreement with Westcare Tennessee and the State Historic Preservation Officer that allows conversion of the Cocke County Memorial Building into women’s recovery housing under a HUD CDBG Recovery Housing grant, while imposing documentation and preservation stipulations for historic features.
The Cocke County Legislative Body on May 19 approved a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among Cocke County, Westcare Tennessee, Inc., and the Tennessee State Historic Preservation Officer to guide alterations to the Cocke County Memorial Building as part of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Recovery Housing Program award.
The MOA, presented by commissioners and approved by motion, records the parties’ determination that the Project will have an adverse effect on the building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and lists binding mitigation measures. Those stipulations require measured Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)-level documentation (measured drawings, narrative history and digital photographs), retention of the gymnasium floor and wood railings, fabrication of historically appropriate exterior wood doors based on historic photos, and renovation of American Legion meeting rooms for continued American Legion use. The MOA calls for the Secretary of the Interior’s Rehabilitation Standards to guide remaining historic features and gives preference in bidding to contractors with experience in historic materials.
The MOA also requires Westcare and the County to notify the State Historic Preservation Officer of any plan revisions for 30-day review, to report annually on implementation, and to suspend work and develop treatment plans if unanticipated historic or archaeological finds (including burials) are discovered. The agreement includes a five-year expiration provision for its stipulations if not carried out within that period.
County commissioners approved the MOA by motion. The memorandum was attached to the meeting minutes and reflects coordination with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TDECD), the Responsible Entity for HUD environmental review. The MOA and its stipulations are intended to satisfy Section 106 consultation requirements for the HUD-funded conversion to women’s recovery housing while preserving key historic elements of the Memorial Building.
Next steps documented in the MOA include HABS documentation before construction, insertion of the Secretary of the Interior’s standards into bid documents, and SHPO review of plan revisions. The county did not set construction start dates during the meeting.