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Cooleemee officials hire Fuller Architect for community center as residents urge bathhouse preservation
Summary
Town residents urged preserving and reusing the historic pool bathhouse for uses such as a museum, library space and community shelter; commissioners voted 4‑0 to accept an RFQ from Fuller Architect to design and oversee a proposed Community Center, with questions remaining about whether the bathhouse can be integrated.
Mayor Jeff Smith opened a special called meeting of the Town of Cooleemee on July 29 to gather suggestions and cost information for the historic bathhouse at the municipal pool and to discuss siting a proposed Community Center.
Residents suggested a range of reuse options for the long‑vacant bathhouse. T. Bivins proposed converting part of the structure into a pool museum and using the former ladies’ shower partitions for computer stations to support home‑schooled children. “Perhaps a pool museum walk through going to the Community Center,” Bivins said. R. Bivins circulated photographs and proposed a community shelter and picnic area, matched renovations to the proposed Community Center, a breezeway and fire pits, and said he could locate the funds the town would need to complete those improvements.
KC Smith urged that the library be considered as part of any renovation and recommended solar lighting and shade trees while retaining the building’s historic character. Kyle Schrader suggested North Carolina preservation programs might provide funding and asked the board to compare demolition, renovation and new construction costs; he offered to help raise money and said he preferred historic buildings remain intact when safe.
Several officials cautioned the group to weigh the bathhouse work against other town needs. Steven Corriher, the town clerk, listed deferred maintenance priorities including crumbling streets and deteriorating structures such as the cook shack, the picnic shelter and the old police department, and urged the town to consider those needs when contemplating a costly renovation. J. Chandler asked whether the board was prepared to place the Community Center at the pool site; board members said additional preparations were needed but identified the pool site as the best option to avoid land‑locking future expansion and suggested asking County Inspections to assess structural soundness and code compliance.
Commissioner Reavis cautioned that ideas collected across six earlier community‑input sessions should not be shoehorned into the bathhouse in a way that would undercut the Community Center’s intended function. Commissioner Almond asked whether the architect engaged for the Community Center would advise on the bathhouse scope; Mayor Smith said the town could request that assistance or seek separate paid input if necessary.
The board took a formal procurement vote. Commissioner Reavis moved to accept the RFQ response from Fuller Architect for the Community Center project, with Commissioner Almond seconding. The motion carried 4‑0. The board instructed staff to proceed with the architect engagement and to continue assessing whether and how the existing bathhouse might be integrated into the Community Center plan or separately repurposed.
Minutes were signed by Mayor Jeff Smith and Clerk Steven Corriher.
