Hotel developers clear hurdle

The two men who hope to take Oconee’s old courthouse and give it a new purpose are on their way to qualify for tax credits to help them convert the 1956 building into a hotel.  That hotel is being envisioned by Mayor Danny Edwards as a further amenity as part of Walhalla’s effort to revitalize the downtown area.  And the Civic Auditorium’s Bill Chiusano sees it as a place of lodging for some of the many out of the out of town visitors to auditorium shows and events.  Builder Tom Markovich says he and his partner, Herb Witter, received endorsement by the board of the state Archives and History for historic designation.  The designation requires approval later at the federal level before tax credits can be made available to help Markovich and Witter finance the renovation.