Athens City Council members may decide Monday whether to let the mayor to hire an appraiser to value the city’s existing recreation center in hopes it can be sold to city schools.

The council will hold a special meeting Monday because it cannot meet at its regularly scheduled time Nov. 13.

Mayor Ronnie Marks told The News Courier Friday the school system desperately needs a field house and may buy the city’s existing recreation center, which is on school property.

“If we can build a new recreation center, then we want to get the (old recreation center) property appraised,” Marks said.

Also on the council’s agenda for Monday is a proposed resolution to fund architectural services for the proposed new recreation center. On June 5, the council chose Goodwyn Mills and Cawood Inc. from among three firms to design the proposed center. However, the city had not yet set up a funding stream to pay the company during the preliminary phases, the mayor said.

The company will draw a basic recreation center and three alternate bids. The basic recreation center would include three gymnasiums. Alternates would include tennis courts, another field for competition soccer or flag football and enclosing the city pool to accommodate swim teams as well as resident swimmers during fall and winter. The mayor said the city hopes to build a basic recreation center plus whatever alternates it can afford.

Some may question spending money to design a recreation center the city would build only if it can afford it and if the council approves. (Council members have already said they would like to build a new recreation center if it is affordable.) Marks said this is the way cities approach such projects, including the renovated Limestone County Courthouse, the new City Hall, Police Department, Fire Department and other facilities in the past.

Pilgrim’s Pride

In other action Monday, council members will vote on whether to extend by about three weeks the city’s current contract to buy the defunct Pilgrim’s Pride chicken plant property off Pryor Street for $550,000. Marks said the city would move the contract deadline from Nov. 24 to Dec. 11 because the city it trying to clear up some title work and because it is amid investigations regarding getting “a realistic cost” to demolish the old chicken plant and clean up the property, which would include asbestos removal. The council will also consider a proposed resolution to hire someone to survey the Pilgrim’s Pride land, the mayor said.

Bids for demolition are due Dec. 13, he said.

The council meeting is at 5:30 p.m. A premeeting work session will be held at 5 p.m., at which time council members will discuss the items on the agenda.

Both meetings will be at City Hall at 200 W. Hobbs St. and are open to the public.

The following other items were listed on the agenda as of Thursday afternoon:

Regular calendar

• Resolution to approve travel expense for Athens Utilities Water Services Department;

• Resolution to accept the low bid from Petty Line Construction for Buck Island Substation exit circuits;

• Resolution to request an attorney general opinion concerning orders of release from municipal court;

• Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 888 to add the job title gas inspector, grade 10;

• Resolution to adopt the job description for gas pipeline inspector for the Athens Utilities Gas Department;

• Resolution to adopt the organizational chart for the Gas Department;

• Resolutions to elect a new City Council president and president pro tempore. Yearlong terms of both President Joseph Cannon and President Pro Tem Chris Seibert are coming to an end;

• Resolution to reschedule the Monday, Dec. 25, regularly scheduled council meeting.