Local

Community center set to be torn down is given new life

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a reverse decision, Mecklenburg County commissioners voted to renovate Huntersville's Waymer Center, a community staple, after originally planning to tear it down.

The center on Holbrooks Road has been shut down for nearly a year and programs relocated after County Parks and Recreation officials first ruled renovations would prove too costly.

For years, residents like B.J. Caldwell pushed back at the county to save the building.

"We don't have anything," she said. "Why take what little we have and demolish it?"
 
The Waymer Center is listed among registered landmarks in Mecklenburg County, and is part of the former Torrence-Lytle High School, which stood as the first opportunity for African-American residents of north Mecklenburg County to attend a public high school in the region where they lived.
 
"All of the people from 1937 up until 1966, this is their only opportunity for an education," Caldwell said.
 
Last August, she and other alumni met with County Commissioner Pat Cotham urging officials to reconsider.
 
Cotham, who said she was appalled by the condition of the campus, vowed to help residents salvage the landmark, and was among commissioners who voted to approve more than $1 million in renovations rather thantear it down.
 
"I left there telling them we had to fight to keep the Waymer Center," Cotham said.
 
Last month, board officials said they would meet with community members to review development plans, with construction to begin in the next two years. 
 
Renovations are to include a new electrical system, roof, open air pavilion and parking lot improvements, along with picnic tables and grills.
 
"No one has met with the community yet," Caldwell said.
 
Resident Parks Ross, who lives near the school and is a former student, has grown tired of watching the historic building left unoccupied.
 
"Like it is right now, nobody's using it," Ross said.
 
Cotham said Friday that board officials have decided on an architect team and will likely announce their decision next month. 
 
Cotham added choosing a company with experience working with historic properties was a huge factor in the decision.
 
"But no, their voices will be heard," Cotham said. "That was too important, and that was a deal breaker."