Owners of a condemned historic hotel in downtown Walnut Cove have offered to give the property to the town, but officials could not agree Tuesday night whether to accept it.

The town commissioners engaged in a lengthy and sometimes heated debate Tuesday about the future of the historic Dodson Hotel site, with Town Commissioner Sharon Conaway urging them to get more information on the property before agreeing to accept ownership. In the end, the board agreed to table the proposal until more information could be gathered.

Owners Marianne and Robert Northington have offered to "donate" the property at the corner of Second and Main streets to the town of Walnut Cove, Town Manager Byron Ellis reported to the board. They have delivered an executed warranty deed granting the property to the town.

"Nothing's gonna be free, though," Mayor Lynn Lewis noted. "We will have to tear it down."

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(Stokes News, 2/7/2013)