Franklin County seeks historic preservation grant for Chapman Auditorium

County commissioners have agreed to apply for a state Historic Preservation Grant to repair the roof at Chapman Auditorium.

The roof over the auditorium area of the historic building has experienced several leaks since Tropical Storm Debbie in 2012 – but FEMA was unwilling to pay for repairs saying the roof had outlived its life expectancy.

At the time the county estimated it would cost about 70 thousand dollars to do the work, though it could be more that.

Last week the board agreed to apply for a Historic Preservation grant – the maximum amount that would cover is 50 thousand dollars, and the county would have to cover anything more than that.

The decision to seek the grant was approved 4 to 1 with commissioner Pinki Jackel opposing the move.

A recent study by the University of Florida called the Chapman building one of the 11 most endangered historic buildings in the state of Florida.

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