Dalton City Council accepts donation of temple site

Charles Oliver, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·2 min read

Mar. 21—The Dalton City Council on Monday moved forward on a project that would simultaneously help control stormwater runoff, create a small park and help memorialize the city's Jewish heritage.

By a 4-0 vote, the council members accepted the donation of the Temple Beth-El property on Valley Drive. Mayor Annalee Harlan Sams typically votes only when there is a tie. The temple is no longer active.

"We've discussed this project for many months in work sessions and Public Works Committee meetings," said City Administrator Andrew Parker.

"The congregants have agreed to transfer the property to the city for the purpose of this project," he said.

"Tonight was a step in that we really couldn't spend a whole lot of money until the property was the city's," Parker said after the meeting. "Probably at the next meeting in April, the council will be asked to approve a design contract and actually do the plans. Right now, we just have conceptual drawings."

Parker said he expects if the council members approve the contract it will take two to three months to come up with a design.

"It will be a project that gets underway later this year," he said.

According to the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, Dalton's Jewish families came together in June 1941 and unanimously approved the construction of a synagogue, and one month later they approved the constitution for Temple Beth-El. World War II delayed the construction, and the temple formally opened in March 1947.

The council members also voted 4-0 to:

—Approve a final budget amendment for 2023, amending several items to reflect actual revenues or spending.

—Approve an amendment to the 2024 budget that, among other things, accounts for the $2.5 million transferred to the city from the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority as well as a $1.3 million transfer from Dalton Utilities. The amendment also includes $2.5 million for additional street paving and $4.3 million for renovation of the John Davis Recreation Center.

Construction work on the John Davis Recreation Center renovation is expected to start May 1. Plans call for a complete renovation of the administrative offices and the conference and assembly space upstairs. Plans also call for a new gym where the current gym is as well as a new entrance and lobby, a new locker room for lifeguards at the outdoor pool and renovation of the pool equipment area.