CENTRE– The Centre City Hall grand opening drew a crowd to East Main Street Monday, Aug. 3, for a milestone years in the making.

With prayer, patriotic music, local history, and a ribbon cutting, the City of Centre officially opened the building at 350 East Main Street.

It is the first City Hall Centre has built specifically for municipal government.

 

 

The new building stands across from the Cherokee County Courthouse. It brings city operations and the employees who serve Centre residents together in a municipal home of their own.

“This is a big day for Centre and Cherokee County, and it’s my honor to serve as your mayor for the City of Centre,” Mayor Jay Howell said.

That sense of pride carried through the crowd. One attendee called the opening “a new era for Centre,” while another said it was “energizing the whole community.”

Others spoke about being part of local history and seeing Centre prepare for generations still to come.

A New Home for City Government

 

Howell said Centre’s earlier city halls occupied buildings created for other purposes. He recalled one on South River Street, where the city’s water department now operates.

“This has been a long time coming,” Howell said. “The city’s never had its own structure that was built. But you know what? We got one now. That’s all that matters.”

The Centre City Hall grand opening also stirred hopes for what the building could mean beyond its walls.

One attendee said placing City Hall downtown could help rejuvenate the area and bring more people to Main Street.

“Now we need to get some shops and some restaurants down here for people that are conducting business to come and park and enjoy themselves,” the attendee said.

Others said the building looks good across from the courthouse and has already changed Centre’s skyline.

Prayer, Patriotism, and Community Pride

Monday’s ceremony opened with an invocation from Pastor Shane Swafford. He invited those who felt led to place a hand on the building as he prayed.

Swafford asked for blessings upon the mayor, council, city employees, and everyone who will walk through the doors. He also prayed that city business conducted there would be fair to all.

A patriotic theme continued throughout the morning. America 250 shirts dotted the crowd, and a large American flag hung above the entrance.

The Centre Police Department presented the colors. Eagle Scout Tanner Rogers then led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Sucressa West sang the national anthem.

Later, the Centre Community Choir performed “God Bless America.”

Shay Miller, representing U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, then presented a flag flown over the United States Capitol to commemorate the opening.

“This flag was flown over the United States Capitol to commemorate the opening today of the City Hall,” Miller said. “So congratulations.”

The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism hosted the ceremonial ribbon cutting. Howell called current and former council members, city employees, police officers, and project representatives forward to share the moment.

Pastor Keith Day later delivered the benediction. Howell then welcomed guests inside for refreshments and their first look at the new facility.

One person in the crowd described the turnout as exciting and called the ceremony “just a great day in Centre.”

A Vision Carried Across Two Administrations

Cherokee County Probate Judge and County Commission Chairman Tim Burgess welcomed City Hall as the county’s new neighbor.

He drew laughs by reminding the new neighbors that garbage runs Tuesday. Burgess also asked them to keep the grass mowed and the noise down.

Then, he turned to the years of work behind the celebration.

Burgess credited former Mayor Mark Mansfield and the previous City Council with the vision to begin the project. He also praised Howell and the current council for carrying that vision forward.

The ceremony program formally recognized both the 2020-25 Mansfield administration and the 2026 Howell administration.

“It is a wonderful thing that our next council, which is headed by Mayor Howell and the current City Council, had the vision to take the ball and finish the project,” Burgess said.

Burgess also stressed cooperation among Centre, Cherokee County, and the county’s other municipalities.

“It takes all of us—our City of Centre, our other municipalities in the county, and the county—to make a successful place for us to work and live,” Burgess said.

Centre Building Inspector Raymond Matthews recognized architect Tom McElrath and builder Joe Sanders for bringing the plans to life.

Matthews said the project faced a setback when the initially selected contractor withdrew during the first week. He estimated the change caused a delay of at least three or four months.

 

Sanders had already moved to other work. Even so, Matthews said he returned and assembled subcontractors who could honor the quoted prices.

Howell also recognized city employees for the work that residents may never see.

“These folks right here, without them, you don’t really have a city,” Howell said. “There’s so much behind the scenes, and they work very, very hard.”

Another voice from the crowd described the building as “the right type of progress” for Centre and Cherokee County.

Where Centre’s Memories and Future Meet

 

 

 

The new building stands on familiar ground for generations of local families. The former Centre Middle School once occupied the property before its demolition cleared the way for City Hall.

During his remarks, Burgess traced Cherokee County’s history history from its creation in 1836 to Centre’s selection as county seat in 1844. He also recalled the area’s connection to the Cherokee settlement known as Turkey Town.

For local artist Freddie Reynolds, the history beneath the building is deeply personal.

Reynolds’ mother attended school on the site. He later attended junior high there, then returned as a teacher, assistant principal, and coach.

He coached on the same field and inside the same gym where he had once played. Those memories followed him through about a year of work on a painting of the former school.

“They could have got a whole lot better artists to paint it,” Reynolds said. “But they couldn’t have got anybody who loved the memories of this site and Centre like I do.”

Reynolds called the painting “a labor of love.” Howell announced that it will hang in the main lobby of the new City Hall.

The site also holds memories for Howell. He attended middle school there, while his father attended high school on the property.

Now, Reynolds’ painting will preserve a view of the old school inside Centre’s new civic home.

For those gathered Monday, the celebration honored more than a building. It connected the people who learned, taught, coached, worked, and grew up on the property with the generations who will be served there next.

Day closed the ceremony by blessing Centre with “presence, power, prosperity, peace, and protection.”

Then the doors opened for tours, and one attendee summed up the mood in unmistakably local terms: “We’re tickled to death.”

You can listen to the ceremony below:

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Photos from the event: