Saving a landmark

Reprinted from the May 3, 2006 Daily News

Mounds of pilings, broken concrete and orange tape occupy the lawn in front of the dilapidated Everglades City Hall.

In case they managed to miss the scaffoldings and construction ruins strewn about, a condemnation sign wards off any potential visitors to the historic building.

Since Hurricane Wilma, the building has had only one inhabitant: a skinny, black and white cat, starved for human attention and sneezing from layers of dust caked on windowsills and furniture, kicked up by workers.

The stray, whose name is a mystery to anyone allowed in or around the building, snuggled against the legs of strangers who joined Mayor Sammy Hamilton on a tour of the building in early May. The cat led the way, seeming to show off his temporary home, room by room, to his guests.

Hurricane Wilma packed a powerful punch to the already crippled building last October. The 78-year-old structure was in desperate need of repairs before the storm. But Wilma’s winds and rain sped the aging process, making the building uninhabitable and nearly beyond repair.

Hamilton worked with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials in the months following the storm, and received $3 million from the agency.

Hamilton also received a $350,000 historical grant from state officials, putting the city just $250,000 short of its $3.6 million goal for the building’s restoration. Hamilton said he is confident the rest of the money will pour in — when he asks for it.

“It just makes me very happy to have all the support from people all around the country,” he said. “There are so many people wanting to donate. They’re just waiting for me to say how much.”

Collier County Commissioner Jim Coletta seconded Hamilton’s confidence, adding the county likely will lend a hand financially, should the need arise.

“History is the very essence of what we’re all about,” he said. “Our responsibility as elected officials and citizens is to preserve what we’ve got.”

During the tour, the wandering cat pawed his way down the dusty hallway, tip-toeing around dozens of square holes in the wooden floors. The holes, Hamilton said, will be for construction workers to fill with pilings to further stabilize the building.

So far, workers have managed to raise the building, and its rotting foundation, 2 1/2 inches off the ground, Hamilton said. The remainder of the foundation work should be completed by the first week of June, he said.

The process of raising the building nearly took a disastrous turn when several walls and ceiling tiles cracked, almost causing the structure to split and collapse, Hamilton said.

“They said if we had waited two weeks, we would have lost the building,” he said, shaking his head at the thought of what could have been.

Creeping into nearly vacant offices that once housed planning officials and a library, the cat bounced over broken desks, collapsed chairs and scattered pieces of broken ceiling tiles. He rubbed against Hamilton as the mayor ran his fingers over a 3-foot crack in the wall, which nearly marked the end of the community landmark.

Pointing at mud-caked windows, some propped open with wooden blocks to help air out the dank offices, Hamilton discussed the future of the room.

“Everything we’re going to do will be historical,” he said. “Everything will look the same as it once did. It’ll just be up to hurricane codes.”

Moving to the back rooms that once housed the council chambers and the mayor’s office, but now seem to have been claimed by the cat, Hamilton pushed through boxes packed with office supplies and various festival decorations.

Everyone stepped lightly into the chambers, so as not to test the strength of the new floors just yet, and Hamilton rested his hand against the remains of the council dais, seeming to recall meetings passed.

Hamilton and the Everglades City Council will never hold meetings in either room again. Due to the rapidly increasing population and interest in Everglades City, the council and the mayor will occupy much larger rooms upstairs once the renovation is completed.

Standing back from the ruins, Coletta said he could visualize the future.

“I’m amazed,” he said. “I think Sammy Hamilton took on a nearly impossible task, and succeeded.

“I think the people of Everglades City owe him a great debt.”

The cat took a rest as the group headed upstairs to a ballroom-sized space that has been inaccessible for decades, but was once reserved for city dances and socials. Like a proud parent, Hamilton rattled on about his vision for the improved space.

“This is a historical building, but it’s also history,” Hamilton said. “This is what made Collier County, and we’re going to make it great again.”

Pointing to a decorative balcony, which, today would make any safety inspector cackle, Hamilton promised to greet residents from the shaky platform “one day soon.”

Be it from the balcony, or from the front steps, both of which face the town’s main traffic circle, Hamilton pledged he and his staff will welcome visitors to the refurbished city hall at the seafood festival in February.

“There’s no words. No way to explain it to you,” Hamilton said.

“I’ve lived here all my life, and to have been able to save this building, it feels real good.”

Downstairs, the cat joined the group again, rubbing a goodbye against each person’s legs. After having received his fill of pats, the squatter strode back inside his temporary digs.

With any luck, Hamilton said, the cat will have to search for a new home very soon.