State budget cuts affect plans for air-conditioned armory

Plans to install an air conditioning system in the Armory in Apalachicola have been delayed indefinitely because of state budget cuts. The Armory, which Franklin County has leased from the National Guard since 2004, is generally used now for private events like weddings and concerts. County officials would like to install an air conditioning system to make the 107 year old building more comfortable. The estimate to install an air conditioning system is about 327 thousand dollars which includes upgrading the wiring system in the building. Franklin County doesn’t have the money to pay for the project and hoped to get a Historic Preservation grant to cover the costs but the legislature this year made substantial cuts to the program meaning large projects can’t get funded. County planner Alan Pierce said there is still some money in the program for small projects which the county will apply for. It turns out there is a leak in the armory roof that should cost less than 50 thousand dollars to repair – so the county will apply for a Historic Preservation grant to pay for that.