Chi Phi lacked cost analysis for renovation

Chi Phi's sudden change of heart regarding the preservation of Arnocroft, a 106-year-old house once used by the Junior League of Athens in the historic Milledge Avenue corridor, comes after it was revealed the organization was giving assurances to the community for its preservation without having conducted an appropriate cost estimate of what it would take to save the building.

Athens-Clarke County District Seven Commissioner Kathy Hoard emailed me and, coupled with additional sources I spoke with, the picture is becoming somewhat clearer.

Hoard said the individual who had served as one of the key points of contact between the fraternity and the community is no longer working in that capacity on this project. In addition to that change, the new representatives for Chi Phi told Hoard, and others at Monday's meeting, that the fraternity now feels as if renovating Arnocroft would be cost-prohibitive.

The earlier statements given to neighborhood representatives, Athens-Clarke County commissioners and others - including a listing on the fraternity's web site touting what an asset Arnocroft was and how it could be incorporated in to a complete renovation of the site - were made in the absence of cost estimates for the proposed work.

In addition, Chi Phi representatives told the group the building they wished to build would not accommodate the existing historic house on the property, thus necessitating its removal.

Hoard said the representatives indicated they would be willing to give the house away at no cost, as well as provide moving expenses, to an individual or organization that wished to relocated it.

The fact the fraternity representatives admitted they had made the pledge to preserve the structure absent of any effective cost analysis of what it would take to actually renovate Arnocroft is troubling, and it suggests an at best, naive - and at worst, deceitful - attempt on Chi Phi's part to garner community support for the project.

Sources told me that Chi Phi had met with local historic preservation activists, as well as other various community and neighborhood representatives, and, over the past year, consistently stressed to them they fully intended to preserve Arnocroft and incorporate the building into its plans.

The Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation, for instance, had listed the proposed project as a 'situation to monitor' since it was first announced last year. The organization got involved in discussions with Chi Phi last fall, and the meetings ended very positively. They repeatedly told representatives from ACHF they fully intended to preserve the structure, as well as utilize existing materials from their previous location in building the additional structure.

The organization was satisfied with the response, and there was no cause for alarm. In fact, periodic reports of the project at ACHF board meetings were given along the lines of 'no news must be good news.'

Jeff Bishop, the president of ACHF's board of directors, learned of the change of decision via an email inquiry from me.

Hoard said the fraternity representatives expressed a desire to work with the community on the project ...

The fraternity representatives indicated they would like to form a committee comprised of their representatives and neighborhood and community representatives to assist with the design of their project. However, they were clear that their plans for the property do not include the house.

The moratorium on Milledge Avenue extends through next spring, and it means that demolition and/or removal of Arnocroft would require approval from the Athens-Clarke County Commission.

Athens-Clarke County District 10 Commissioner Mike Hamby indicated that he'd oppose any plans to either relocate or demolish Arnocroft, and Hoard echoed some of those concerns ...

Needless to say, as someone who has restored a home in a nearby local and National Register Historic District and was elected to represent other historic areas where I do not reside, including Milledge Avenue, I am certainly not pleased to obtain this new information. We have lost one house on Milledge Avenue in recent months which would have been a contributing structure to a local historic district. I am certainly not pleased that another historic structure, particularly one as distinctive as Arnocroft, is threatened at this time.