________________________________________________________
September 17, 2010
Sheila C. Bair, Chairman
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
550 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20429
Re: Centennial Bank Building - Apalachicola, FL
Dear Ms. Bair:
Centennial Bank has informed our community that they are committed to completing the construction of the bank building previously started by Coastal Community, which previously was Apalachicola State Bank. It’s our understanding that Centennial Bank cannot resume the construction until after the FDIC completes the transition of property to Centennial Bank.
Apalachicola has a varied and colorful background, dating back to the 1800’s, as a major cotton shipping port. It realigned into a lumber shipping port after cotton began being shipped by rail. In the 1920’s and 30’s again Apalachicola had to re-invent itself as a seafood port, which became our major economy until just over 20 years ago. Today we are in transition again, to what we believe to be a tourist-based economy. Our history and unique architectural character has earned us the accolade of a “Dozen Distinctive Destination” community from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Our future as a tourist-based economy is tied directly to preserving our character, and appealing to visitors as a place to enjoy the historic charm of our city. To that end, our Land Development Codes require that any new construction or remodeling adhere to a strict set of guidelines to compliment and preserve our architectural character.
The banks construction plans have been through such a review process and is highly endorsed by the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, which also serves as the Architectural Review Board. The building’s design is after the original circa 1900, Apalachicola State Bank building, and will be a tremendous asset to our community.
As I’m sure you can appreciate, our community has suffered greatly with the collapse of the real estate market and negative publicity from the Gulf Oil Disaster. Our economy is fragile, at best, and our need to be appealing to tourists to support our economy is paramount. An unfinished, chain-link surrounded building, with construction obviously halted, does not build support from the community, nor does it create the vista we need to attract our tourist base.
Please know that we appreciate the arduous task that the FDIC performs to protect the financial stability of local banks and communities. We give recognition to the effectiveness of transition and continuity of service you orchestrated. However, please understand, our community needs images of prosperity, a welcoming presence on our city street-fronts, and signs of hope for our future. A new bank with a beautifully re-created historic structure at the cornerstone of our commercial district can be the catalyst for our new transition.
We implore you to expedite your efforts so that this construction project can continue to completion, for the betterment of our downtown, but also to position Centennial Bank to operate and serve our community from the bank location, which dates back to the 1800’s.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sheila C. Bair, Chairman
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
550 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20429
Re: Centennial Bank Building - Apalachicola, FL
Dear Ms. Bair:
Centennial Bank has informed our community that they are committed to completing the construction of the bank building previously started by Coastal Community, which previously was Apalachicola State Bank. It’s our understanding that Centennial Bank cannot resume the construction until after the FDIC completes the transition of property to Centennial Bank.
Apalachicola has a varied and colorful background, dating back to the 1800’s, as a major cotton shipping port. It realigned into a lumber shipping port after cotton began being shipped by rail. In the 1920’s and 30’s again Apalachicola had to re-invent itself as a seafood port, which became our major economy until just over 20 years ago. Today we are in transition again, to what we believe to be a tourist-based economy. Our history and unique architectural character has earned us the accolade of a “Dozen Distinctive Destination” community from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Our future as a tourist-based economy is tied directly to preserving our character, and appealing to visitors as a place to enjoy the historic charm of our city. To that end, our Land Development Codes require that any new construction or remodeling adhere to a strict set of guidelines to compliment and preserve our architectural character.
The banks construction plans have been through such a review process and is highly endorsed by the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, which also serves as the Architectural Review Board. The building’s design is after the original circa 1900, Apalachicola State Bank building, and will be a tremendous asset to our community.
As I’m sure you can appreciate, our community has suffered greatly with the collapse of the real estate market and negative publicity from the Gulf Oil Disaster. Our economy is fragile, at best, and our need to be appealing to tourists to support our economy is paramount. An unfinished, chain-link surrounded building, with construction obviously halted, does not build support from the community, nor does it create the vista we need to attract our tourist base.
Please know that we appreciate the arduous task that the FDIC performs to protect the financial stability of local banks and communities. We give recognition to the effectiveness of transition and continuity of service you orchestrated. However, please understand, our community needs images of prosperity, a welcoming presence on our city street-fronts, and signs of hope for our future. A new bank with a beautifully re-created historic structure at the cornerstone of our commercial district can be the catalyst for our new transition.
We implore you to expedite your efforts so that this construction project can continue to completion, for the betterment of our downtown, but also to position Centennial Bank to operate and serve our community from the bank location, which dates back to the 1800’s.
Respectfully Submitted,
Van W. Johnson, Sr., Mayor
The Historic City of Apalachicola
cc: Mr. Randy Sims, CEO
Centennial Bank
P.O. Box 1028
Cabot, AR 72023
The Historic City of Apalachicola
cc: Mr. Randy Sims, CEO
Centennial Bank
P.O. Box 1028
Cabot, AR 72023
Dear Mayor Johnson; Thankyou for 'prodding' the FDIC.
ReplyDeleteSusan Richardson
Great letter, Mayor. You are always so on top on everything!
ReplyDelete