Nothing is scarier than the unexpected, as Athens city officials found out the hard way.
Unexpected regulations forced city officials to abandon work on a haunted house that was scheduled to open in the Armory building on Carpenter Street. The initial plan was that the City of Athens would agree to refurbish the aging Armory building in exchange for 40 percent of the revenue taken in by the haunted house. After sinking $20,000 into what was apparently a very expensive clean-up and coat of paint, the city abandoned the project when it learned that state regulations for public amusement buildings would require that much more work be done than originally had been thought. The building lacked adequate plumbing and heating and had what was believed to be faulty wiring throughout, making it nearly impossible to install a sprinkler system and other safety precautions at this time.
The safety officials overseeing the project claim that they were unaware of the regulations until after they had already begun work on the building. This disconcerting blunder cost taxpayers in Athens thousands while giving them nothing in return. Had the haunted house been opened, some of the cost would have been offset, but as it stands, the money was wasted. It remains to be seen whether the haunted house project will continue for next year.
Although city officials are assumed by citizens to be well-versed in state building code, this egregious and entirely preventable error has proved that this is not the case. The fact that public funds were being used without any consultation of the state code is irresponsible on the part of city officials, who simply shrugged off the situation by stating that the work needed to be done eventually.
Those responsible for maintaining building safety in Athens should be fluent in all codes both local and statewide, and what they don't know, they should research before starting such an expensive project. They have been given their positions so that they may properly allocate funds in order to make our buildings safer. All that we ask in return is that they at least confirm their understanding of their own profession before squandering tax dollars in such embarrassingly wasteful ways. It can only be hoped that the city will find a use for the building and remember this lesson in the future, lest they be haunted by the ghosts of Halloweens past.
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Thousands of dollars have been wasted due to a simple overlook of building codes
