Dixie Gebhardt House

The Knoxville City Council and the Knoxville Public Library Board will hold a work session tonight to discuss the Dixie Gebhardt House. Knoxville Public Library Board President Lindsey Carlson spoke with KNIA/KRLS News about some of the challenges the house faces now.

“The house needs several hundred thousand dollars of work and updated electric and plumbing. Just this week there has been an issue with the plumbing that has displaced the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and the Tennant so that definitely is a need. The house needs a new roof and really the maintenance and upkeep costs are something the library board thinks that the taxpayers might not want to fund in the future.”

Carlson talks about options for the house.

“Probably at the top of our list is finding someone to partner with, to possibly move the house or to develop it into some other form of community use. At the moment we do not know if any parties are interested in doing that. The spot could be redeveloped into an outdoor space for the library and its programs. We are really open to all of the options. We just want to be responsible to the taxpayers of the City Of Knoxville and to ensure its use furthers the mission of the library.

The work session will begin at  5:00 pm in the council chambers of the Municipal Building