Gainesboro will hire a surveyor to see what can be done about an old block wall next to the old Wiggins Surveying building.
The town’s board of aldermen learned last month of the building having flooding issues due to the condition of the wall. The property owner presented a survey showing that he does not own the wall, but his survey does not show the wall’s owner. City Attorney Kayla Cantrell said the city cannot address the wall if they do not know who owns it.
“If their property ends, so it’s either like a lot of buildings have walls that don’t really belong to anybody,” Cantrell said. “It’s just something they put in between or like a party wall where it’s shared, or it could be ours.”
The property owner said he could have the surveyor focus on the wall to see who owns it. Mayor Lloyd Williams said the town would likely pay for the survey to be conducted.
“If we get a solution, I would be glad to get this out of the way,” Williams said. “I mean, he is opening up a business here. I mean, let’s do what we can to help.”
Alderman Tom Goetz mentioned a grant that could help pay to repair the wall, should the wall belong to the town. Town Clerk Lisa Dodson said Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Hope Vargas had told her that the grant could be used to level out the wall and turn it into an amphitheater. Vargas said that the amphitheater idea has sort of been denied
“They (grant writers) weren’t really loving that idea entirely,” Vargas said. “I think they really want you to steer closer to like the exterior façade improvements and things we have done in the past.”
The property owner said his contractor cannot finish work until the flooding is stopped. Williams said the wall has been an issue for quite some time. The aldermen aim to have a survey and a discussion at the next work session.
