Citizen photo/Glenn Harbison : McCaysville Police Chief Micheal Earley places his hand in the separation between the floor and baseboard in the city’s police station. Similar separations were reported to be as much as three-quarters of an inch Monday. 

 By: Glenn Harbison, glenn@fanninbasincitizen.com 

Fannin County Building Inspector Keith Nicholson was anticipating recommending the Post Office/Police Department building be condemned following his inspection Monday morning. 

“There are parts of the building that are settling,” Nicholson said. 

Among the problems he saw were a half-inch gap between the old and new concrete on the outside, a three-quarter in gap where the floor and baseboard had settled inside, several areas inside where the floor had appeared to sink, and several places where the brick is starting to sink outside. 

“It’s just like there is a sinkhole under that building and it’s taking its toll,” Nicholson said. 

The torrential rain August 1 and 2, which McCaysville Mayor Pro Tem reported at 7.3 inches, explains what could have happened, Nicholson said. The huge amount of water aggravated the situation under the building, making any sinkhole that existed much worse. 

“The building is not safe to inhabit,” Nicholson said. 

He also expects repairing the building would not be cost effective since it contains both asbestos and lead paint. 

Nicholson said he anticipated writing a letter to the McCaysville City Council recommending the building be condemned, but the decision would be up to the council.McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley said the police department is relocating to the old garage behind City Hall. The building will be remodeled and the department housed in one facility. The station next to the Toccoa River Park was also damaged by the flooding caused by the rain and will be abandoned.

“It keeps us out of the flood plain,” Earley said of the new location.