It's not easy for Calhoun County Commission Chairman J.D. Hess to think about how the historic buildings at McClellan soon will be gone.

"I did some summer camps in those barracks in the late '60s," he said. "They mean a lot to me."

Despite his fond memories, Hess, along with the majority of his fellow commissioners, chose Thursday to tear the derelict structures down.

"I hate to demolish them, but at the same time, there is a safety factor," he said.

During their regular meeting Thursday, only Robert Downing voted against demolishing 93 McClellan buildings on the McClellan Development Authority's (MDA) recommendation. Commissioner Rudy Abbott was not present.

Calhoun County Administrator Ken Joiner said the demolition would likely begin in the next two weeks.

"The Calhoun County Highway Department will assist in that," Joiner said. "It will be done according to their schedule."

Earlier in the year when the MDA first made its recommendation, the commissioners were reluctant to go through with the demolition, until they saw the buildings for themselves.

"If you go out there and look at them, some are falling down and have foundations you can stick a fist through," Hess said.

The buildings include many barracks built before World War II.

"Soldiers were fed and lived their lives in that general area and went off to war, and many never came back," Downing said. "We owe it to future generations to protect and restore and respect our history."

MDA Chairman Ronnie Smith understands Downing's argument, but considers the demolition to be in the best interest of the public.

"I do support their (the commissioners') actions for fear of people accessing those buildings and getting hurt," he said. "We have to have full-time security there right now to keep people from coming in there and getting hurt."

The County Commission owns the buildings and would be held liable if there was an accident.

"We can get sued if somebody gets hurt," said Commissioner Eli Henderson.

One of the few buildings not listed in the demolition was an old chapel.

"It will not be demolished," Joiner said. "There has been some renovation done to it … before the commission took ownership."

No decision has been made on what will be done with the chapel, Joiner said.

Once the other buildings are removed, the MDA recommends the site be turned into an industrial park.

"If possible investors ride through there and see all these eyesores, it may keep them from locating there," Henderson said.

Downing said there is plenty of room at McClellan already for an industrial park. He added that keeping the buildings could one day bring jobs and money to the county the same as an industrial park.

"One possibility is making movies there," Downing said. "They should be protected and restored."

To Hess, however, the amount of deterioration would make restoration efforts too costly.

"You'd have to tear them down board by board to restore them … and many are leaning," he said.

David Schneider, vice-chairman of the Anniston Historic Preservation Commission, concedes many of the buildings are probably not salvageable, but notes that a few could be saved.

"A couple were not in a situation where they would have to come down," he said.

Schneider regrets the demolition, but he also regrets not having a voice in the final decision.

"Unfortunately, our preservation commission in Anniston has pretty weak powers," he said. "We have no say."