We may pride ourselves on the speed of our electronic communication these days, but sometimes word-of-mouth outruns anything else. Following comments made by Swainsboro Mayor Greg Bennett at the weekly meeting of a local civic club last week, information or misinformation on the future plans for City Hall has been the main topic on the street. Prompted by numerous inquiries from the public concerning the story, The Forest-Blade contacted Bennett for comment. The Mayor said that in his address at the Swainsboro Rotary Club, he did discuss the relocation of the offices of City Hall to another building. He cited the condition of the second floor of the current building as one reason for the possible move. Bennett was also questioned about the reported plan to demolish the current City Hall building to make way for a parking lot. “I would never tear down that building,” was his response. The Mayor went on to say that this subject was only under discussion and no formal action or vote had been taken.
The historic building is one of the earliest structures in Swainsboro, built in 1908. It has housed City government there for nearly 60 years. Prior to that, it served as the location for the Citizens Bank. During World War II, the building was actually designated as a priority-level bomb shelter. The Blade will continue to follow and report any details on this story.
