WHAT'S TO BECOME OF THE OLD CITY HALL?

The lower level of the library is to be used for administrative offices.

They own it. Now what are they going to do with it?

That's what parishioners of New McKendree United Methodist Church are trying to figure out. After paying $206,000 for the old Jackson City Hall at a recent public auction, they are carefully weighing all of the alternatives.

"It was kind of like having a 10,000-foot project in 12 minutes," said Rev. Scott Lohse, senior pastor of New McKendree. "We're looking at all of our options. Our problem before was not enough space, now it's the other way around."

While the business offices of City Hall have moved into their new location at 101 Court St., the city library is still operating at the old location until April 12. The library will then have two weeks to move to the new city hall and New McKendree will take over the property on May 1.

Actually, the congregation only has half a problem -- they know what they're going to do with one of the two 5,000-square-foot floors.

They plan to move their administrative offices out of the church and into the first floor of the other building as soon as the library is out.

As for the rest of it, well, that's what they're working on.

A building committee has been formed and divided into four subcommittees to consider different options for the building, property and the best way to utilize the space.

The subcommittees are looking very closely at their individual options and are going to contemplate the advantages and disadvantages of each. The options for the floor include leasing office space, offering a daycare, or a furnishing a banquet hall to be rented for weddings and other special occasions.

Then the committee will share its findings with the congregation, which will, by way of voting, make the final decision in May.

Lohse finds the idea of a preschool especially appealing.

"The church has had this as one of its long-term goals," he said. "I remember Rev. Griffin talking about it and he was pastor here 16 years ago. I'd like to see that goal realized.

"In a town where we're building new schools, new businesses and new homes, I see it as a real need."

But he emphatically states that the final decision is the congregation's.

The church doesn't plan to do a lot of construction to the 36-year-old building.

"We're just going to take a couple walls out and a couple of doorways," Lohse said.

This is all being done under the watchful eye of Eldred Hargens, a congregation member and retired engineer.

"I want to give one of those offices to Eldred," Lohse said, laughing. "We'll be the only church with an engineer department."

Another big goal the church has is to build a gymnasium in between the City Hall and the church and having all three facilities connected. Lohse says that the gymnasium is years away but he admits to "knocking around" the year 2,000 as a personal goal for completion.

Lohse said the congregation had been looking to expand for a long time. Members have had their eye on the old City Hall ever since the first mention of selling it. The two properties sit side-by-side on South High Street, and City Hall's parking lot actually is on New McKendree's land.

The church was able to purchase the property thanks to a trust fund specifically designed for property expansion. The trust fund was provided by John Cox, and the new building will be named "Cox Memorial Hall" in his honor.

"The church has been interested in it for several years," Lohse said. "Now it's just figuring out what to do with it."