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Months of community leaders' work to save the historic Piney
Wood Chapel at the former fort mcclellan from demolition paid off Wednesday
when the McClellan Development Authority agreed to give the property to the
Calhoun County Commission. The authority also gave the commission $10,000 that,
when combined with money expected from the county, businesses and volunteer
donations, will be used to restore and maintain the chapel.
The World War II-era, 3,700-square-foot chapel had been set
for demolition, in September the authority voted to spare it temporarily so the
community could have time to save it. The commission has already said it will allocate
$10,000 toward the project. Meanwhile, Alabama Power Co. and the city of
Anniston have considered donating $10,000 each to the cause.
A previous plan involved not just restoring the building,
but moving it to the Cane Creek Community Garden at McClellan to get it out of
the way of potential industrial development. Upon further examination,
community leaders and the authority determined the chapel could stay in place
without hampering development. The chapel is next to McClellan's industrial
park.
Another reason to keep the building in place is cost. After
consulting with a firm that specializes in moving historic structures, Duncan
and his supporters learned it would cost $75,606 to relocate the chapel. Then
it would still cost several thousands of dollars more to prepare the new site
and renovate and the building.
David West, coordinator for the Calhoun County Extension
Office and also part of the restoration project said the general plan is to use
the building and the approximately 2.2 acres that came with it as a park area,
possibly with picnic tables and a parking lot.
Please get to know your neighbors who were excluded from the news toxins and environmental contaminants on Ft McClellan over an eighty year period potentially harmed the health of veterans, families and children born to the troops assigned to FTMC. We were part of the larger Anniston community. Dept of Defense and the EPA left veterans and families unaware their health may have been in danger later in life. No veterans, families or children were notified of the toxins they were exposed to.from 1917-1999. Were there human military casualties at Fort McClellan? The DOA and DOD never investigated even though toxins were doctumented in high amounts.
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