The Latest Local News from the Rome News
The plaque on an eternal flame at the historic Floyd County Courthouse on Fifth Avenue reads in part, “May It Ever Burn.” As anyone who has passed the courthouse on Fifth Avenue for the past seven years knows, the flame hasn’t been lit for a long time.
Floyd County officials have not forgotten about it, but the project to relight the flame hasn’t been a hot topic.
Tax Commissioner Kevin Payne, whose office is in the historic courthouse, said the gas lines were replaced and stubbed off when the parking lot was redesigned in 2009, but nothing has happened since then.
“About every six months or so I’ll bring it up again with whoever the assistant county manager is,” Payne said.
The “Flame of Freedom” was a gift to the community from the Shanklin-Attaway, Grady Mabry and McClain Sealock American Legion posts and their auxiliaries in Rome. It was dedicated in 1969 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Legion.
Ryan Davis, facilities manager for Floyd County, said there were problems with the flame and its vessel even before the parking lot project, which was funded through the 2006 special purpose, local option sales tax.
“It is something that I am trying to get put together,” Davis said about a proposal to get it flaring again.
But there are a number of hurdles for the low-priority project.
Gary Burkhalter, Floyd County finance director, said there were issues with the height of the flame — that someone of average height could potentially reach out over the flame and be injured.
How to pay for the fix is another unanswered question. There were early hopes it could be folded into the parking lot project but the Great Recession intervened. Burkhalter said revenue from the 2006 SPLOST collection did not meet projections, and the county even had to tap into its general fund to finish the Armuchee Connector.
Another issue involves the ongoing cost of the natural gas fuel. Burkhalter said it’s estimated at between $6,000 and $7,000 a year.
Source: Rome News
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