By Ethan Johnson Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News Jul 26, 2023
A new community gathering space has opened in Cherokee County in honor of a longtime local leader. The Charlie Ferguson Community Center officially opened its doors July 25 with a ribbon cutting celebrating the occasion. The center on Reinhardt College Parkway sits on the site of the old North Canton Volunteer Fire Department that was built in the 1970s, which later became Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services Station 9. The new Fire Station No. 9 is across the street.
The namesake of the center, Charlie Ferguson, helped to establish the North Canton Volunteer Fire Department and served as its first chairman. The new Fire Station No. 9 was also dedicated in Ferguson’s honor.
“It’s important we sustained this location for this facility at the center of a tremendously important community,” Cherokee County Board of Commissioners Chair Harry Johnston told attendees at the event. “I knew Charlie Ferguson for roughly 40 years or more and he was one of the finest men I ever knew. It’s fitting that this facility will live in honor of his memory.”
The North Canton brigade was the first African American volunteer fire department in Georgia, according to the county. Ferguson was born in Canton, attending Hickory Log School before joining the Army. He was a member of Hickory Log Church and served as the superintendent of Sunday School, chairman of the deacon board and as a trustee of the church. He also was a member of the Masons and formerly served on the county Board of Health and the county Board of Ethics.
According to Reinhardt University, in 1996 Ferguson received an honorary associate degree in humanities from then-Reinhardt College. Ferguson was also the recipient of the first community service award given by the Canton Rotary Club, was awarded the Liberty Bell Award by the court system and was commonly referred to as the “mayor” of north Canton.
After the new Fire Station 9 was built, community members formed the Charlie Ferguson Community Center nonprofit organization, and county commissioners approved the conversion of the fire station in November 2021.
“After the construction of the new fire station across the street, we were contacted by members of the Pea Ridge community who had the idea to convert the vacated building to a community center,” Cherokee County Community Services Director Bryan Reynolds said at the ribbon cutting. “Sadly, during the process, we discovered that it was not possible to save the original building due to its condition and it would be better to replace it with a new building. Thankfully, we were able to maintain the look of the original building and hopefully those that visit will still be able to feel and see the history of the original North Canton Fire Volunteer Fire Department.”
Renovations included converting the former fire engine bay into a community gathering place, upgrading to a new HVAC system, renovations to the kitchen and restrooms and the construction of smaller meeting, office and conference rooms.
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners allocated $1.7 million in Community Development Block Grant and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax dollars to fund the project.
Commissioners approved an agreement with Charlie Ferguson Community Center, Inc. last week that allows for the nonprofit to take over operations of the facility within a year. Under the terms of the agreement, the county will accept title of the property from the North Canton Volunteer Fire Department and will provide financial support for maintenance and operation of the center for one year, up to $20,000.
After this initial transition year, the financial solvency of CFCC will be evaluated and if the agreement terms are met, the nonprofit will accept the title to the property.
“Future programming for this community center will be offered through numerous community partnerships with the Cherokee County School District, Cherokee County Senior Services, Cherokee Recreation and Parks and more,” Charlie Ferguson Community Center President Tannish Welch said. “To sustain this facility, we are offering corporate sponsorships, room rentals and pledge campaigns.”
The Charlie Ferguson Community Center is located at 1398 Reinhardt College Parkway in Canton. For more information, call 770-380-9909 or visit www.cfergusoncc.org.