As the Maysville prepares for a limited reopening of city hall to the public, officials are releasing information on how that will proceed.

According to City Manager Matt Wallingford, doors will open June 1 for appointments within the city departments. Visitors are advised to bring a mask or one will be provided, he said.

Visitors can make appointments by calling the city at 606-564-9419.

Wallingford said he hopes to have city offices fully open by July 1, also the target date for in-person city commission meetings, at least on a limited basis.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, city commission has been conducting its meeting by live-streaming the event on Facebook but with the meeting site closed to the public for health reasons. Wallingford hopes to open the meetings by July 1 while also maintaining social distancing practices for those who attend. He also intends to continue live-streaming the meeting.

“I think it’s a public service,” he said.

The city’s latest commission meeting is set for Thursday at 4:45 p.m., when commissioners will consider an agenda that includes appointment of a new Human Resources manager to replace Karen Cracraft who is retiring; and a budget workshop.

Also expected to be considered is how to proceed with the Marshall Key house in Old Washington, which has served most recently as the Harriet Beecher Stowe museum.

The historic house was purchased by the city in 2001 from Old Washington Inc. for $150,000, with funds from a Transportation Enhancement grant, according to Wallingford.

Wallingford said discussions of selling the home first came up a few years ago when the city decided to sell the event center. He said he had discussed the possible sale with a nonprofit organization. Wallingford said he has since learned the house will be required to be sold by sealed bids. If no bids are received than the city can enter negotiations with the nonprofit for the sale.

The house is in need of some repairs, including addressing a water runoff issue from an intermittent creek that runs beside the house that would require deepening a French drain around the house to six feet deep, Maysville Projects Director David Hord said at a recent commission meeting. The work would require an archaeological study, he said.

Until a few years ago, the city set aside $15,000 in its budget each year for repairs and maintenance on the house, Wallingford said. That number decreased over the past two years to $5,000 each year and was removed from the budget in a money-saving effort for the current fiscal year, he said.

The Kentucky Heritage Council inspects the house each year and submits a report to the city on needed repairs, Wallingford said. The house cannot be sold without permission from the council, he said.