Fate of Reeds Spring WPA Building
in the hands of bidders

The springhouse at the Reeds Spring is being renovatedto address safety concerns.

Shana Harter
The fate of the historic “WPA Building,” which once housed the Reeds Spring high school, is quite literally up for bid.

A few years ago, the city of Reeds Spring bought the WPA building for a mere dollar. The town had hopes that the purchase would save the city money while saving a bit of history. Back in 2017, as volunteers worked on a remodeling project, there were hopes for community events to be held there, concerts, and family reunions.

However, repairs and upkeep on a building of this age have become too costly to continue. The city feels a new city hall location in a new or newer building would allow them to control costs much more efficiently.

The Reeds Spring Mayor Steve Rogers said the building needs many repairs. The basement walls leaking water and mold in the building are among the issues that the city would need to repair if they kept the building.
Rogers said, “The building is historic. We understand that, but at the end of the day, I can’t justify spending that much taxpayer money. The city has too tight of a budget to dump that much money into it to save it. We don’t have the funds for it.”
Rogers said that he does understand the connection to the building and its history that many people feel. However, Rogers said it would take a tax increase to raise the funds for such an undertaking.
“I have to look out for the citizens paying taxes today. I can’t ask them for a tax increase to save this,” Rogers added.

The city plans to accept sealed bids on the building in the next few weeks. They hope to attract a historical society of sorts. The mayor says that a historical society has many more resources available to them.  Resources that Reeds Spring, as a city government, cannot apply for. He says this is a chance to save the building.

The building and the land beneath it will be for sale. It will include an easement out to Main Street. Rogers said that details would be published in the newspaper next week. The city owns the multi-use parking lot around the building. The parking lot could be shared; however, the city is willing to negotiate on the lot.
The Board of Aldermen plans to open the bids at their September board meeting.
Interested parties should watch for the Notice of Bids next week. They may also contact the city clerk at the Reeds Spring City hall located at 22595 Main St. in Reeds Spring.

Rogers also spoke to us about the springhouse built around the spring the city is named for. A corner post was sinking in, causing the roof to sag about eight to twelve inches lower than it should be. Rogers said over the years, the spring has had a roof over it, and it has not had a roof over it.
​Out of fear of it caving in and possibly injuring someone, the roof was removed. Rogers said, “Due to citizen input, we are reversing course and putting a metal or tin roof back on [the spring house] as soon as the post is repaired.”