Garth Lovvorn says the Scout House, which has been a “slow but steady” ongoing project since March 2022, is making progress with renovations.

The project began with the removal of several hundred feet of wooden strips from the ceiling, which allowed insulation installers access to the rafters of the building to properly tighten the building’s heating and cooling envelope.

At that time, the City of Athens awarded the Athens Arts League a $60,000 grant to finish the interior renovation.

After the initial work was completed, Tracey MacMahan Construction installed sheetrock throughout the building.

Following the installation of insulation and sheetrock, the Scout House then needed a new HVAC unit.

“This was an interesting undertaking, as it was necessary to contact several HVAC contractors from Athens to provide estimates on their services,” Lovvorn said.

The Scout House compared estimates from May to July and ultimately selected Flanagan Heating and Air Company who completed the job in early September.

While the HVAC was being replaced, John Adams Electrical installed the power supply to the building.

“A panel was placed in the building, along with outlet and switch boxes. A meter was also installed, and the City of Athens connected power to the building,” Lovvorn said.

Once the electrical and HVAC jobs wrapped up, RoofTech Construction came in and hung the doors and interior trim. Baseboard installation was delayed until the floors could be finished, however.

In late September, Athens Arts League Board members and other volunteers took to the building to prepare the floors for finishing.

“The old carpet in the building had been pulled up, and underneath it was the original hardwood. It was deemed appropriate that, in order to maintain its historic integrity, the hard wood would need to be finished and recoated,” Lovvorn explained. “Before the actual finishing could take place it was necessary for volunteers to remove hundreds of nails and staples in the floor as well as a thick layer of dried and hardened glue.”

This process went on from late September until mid November, and it was decided that John Waide would be the flooring contractor due to his cost and his reputation.

“His reputation indicated that he would also do the best job,” Lovvorn said.

Waide completed the floor in late December.

With floors completed, the next phases will be to lay tile in the two bathrooms, install baseboards, paint the interior, and finish plumbing and lighting. This will mark the completion of the main components of the building.

“Smaller items such as pressure washing, cleaning, installing of cable/internet, purchasing a fire extinguisher, and repairs in sheetrock and windows will also need to take place before a certificate of occupancy can be issued,” Lovvorn said.

Along with the construction process, the Board created the Scout House Committee that includes the Athens Arts League Board members as well as outside members to add perspective and insight into the process.

“These meetings have been taking place since late May, and the last one was in late September. They had taken place monthly but had to be placed on hiatus due to member commitments in other areas as well as Christmas holiday activities,” Lovvorn said.

Meetings will resume in late January for the planning committee.

2022 ended with the funding of two additional grants.

“One grant was through Venturi Aerospace, and the other is through Duke Energy Renewables,” Lovvorn said. “This money will be used for other necessary items in the Scout House such as soundproofing, studio lighting, furnishings, and musical equipment purchases. Grants are continually being sought after, and recently, Athens Arts League Board members had a conversation with the leading grant writer from Athens State University about how to obtain funding from new sources.”

The doors should open to the public sometime this year according to Lovvorn, but no official opening date has been finalized.