CENTERVILLE — The city of Centerville has plans to revitalize and some residents who live in Uptown are concerned that the historic Clarence Nutt House will be wiped out in the process.
The home sits on the land that was once owned by one of Centerville’s founding fathers, Aaron Nutt.
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“Tearing down the founder’s family historic structure here, I thought boy this doesn’t fit the mission statement,” said Greg Schauer of Centerville.
“We have been a resident for over 20 years,” added Joellen Ulliman.
The city’s concept plans that Ulliman and others saw appeared to be preparing to replace the Nutt House with new housing.
“It just breaks my heart, because I love the idea that our founding father was here on this property, kept it in his family for all those years. It’s a beautiful place,” Ulliman said.
“They are going to upscale all the residents that already live here right out of town,” said Ryan Tipton of Centerville.
Instead of replacing the home, residents would like to see the old home restored and turned into a business.
“Why not advertise it as a bed and breakfast, a restaurant or possibly a museum. Or the city could purchase it for a park. That would make more sense then putting duplexes here,” suggested Schauer.
News Center 7′s Monica Castro shared the resident’s concerns with the city development director.
“We are aware of the community’s history, obviously,” said Mike Norton-Smith Centerville’s Development Director.
“We are aware of the houses of the founding fathers in the community and we are appreciative of that rich heritage that we have. We tried to create a plan that took advantage of in-fill opportunities where we saw them. But also, respected those properties and created a cohesive development around them.”
The director explained that the city does not own the home and the plans released are just concept plans so nothing has been finalized.
“We have had discussions about the property, the building, whether it stays, whether we incorporate it. We’ve had drawings where we kept it as part of the overall plan,” Norton-Smith said.
“I don’t want to change the fabric of the history. I don’t want to change the community vibe we have going here,” said Ulliman.
The city of Centerville has a meeting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight to discuss its plans.
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