Restoration

work on the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House, the

centerpiece of Fayetteville's efforts to preserve

city history, is a step closer with the

appointment of a firm to oversee the work.

The

Downtown Development Authority Tuesday morning

authorized Chairman Al Hovey-King to sign a

contract with architects Carter Watkins

Associates, pending review by the city attorney.

The firm will receive 6 percent of overall costs

to oversee the work.

If

all goes well, Hovey-King said, bids for the work

could go out by early summer with restoration

beginning by late summer or early fall.

The

city has budgeted $250,000 to get the ball

rolling, but Hovey-King said city officials

aren't expecting to get the whole job done for

that.

"We

feel we can make significant progress on this

project, but we know that this will not be enough

to complete a historical restoration.

It's

hoped that the house can be structurally

stabilized and all exterior renovation completed,

and heating and air, plumbing and electrical work

can be done.

Carter

Watkins is well qualified to oversee the job,

said Hovey-King. The company has "a fairly

extensive record of doing historic

renovations," he said, including several

historic courthouses and libraries.

The

circa 1855 home is famous for having been

occupied by relatives of famed gunslinger

"Doc" Holliday, as well as a procession

of local and statewide political leaders.

City

leaders plan to use it as a tourist attraction

and museum. Tour of the home currently are

conducted for groups, but it will be closed

during much of the renovation work.

In

other business Tuesday morning, the Downtown

Development Authority discussed its street scape

project around the Courthouse Square, which

includes period street lights and brick

sidewalks.

"We

hope to put that out to bid shortly," said

Hovey-King, "with construction beginning in

early summer. That'll really make a difference

too," he added.

The

group also discussed the city's search for

someone suitable to take ownership of the

historic Dorsey house, which is in the path of

construction of a new Fayette County Jail and

courthouse. The city is willing to give the house

to anyone with a suitable plan to use it as a

home or business in the downtown area, but no

luck so far.

For

information on the house, phone 770-461-6029.

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