After getting churches, businesses, agencies and individuals to “adopt” and renovate rooms at its closed homeless shelter, the Salvation Army is telling donors the shelter will not open.

Capt. George Hackbarth said the Salvation Army’s local board and divisional headquarters agreed there was not enough money to bring the shelter, 615 S. Main St., up to city codes and to keep it operating. He said it would cost more than $100,000 to repair the shelter to city standards and more than $160,000 a year to maintain.

Hackbarth sent a letter on July 17 to people who adopted rooms asking the donors if they wanted to pick up their donated furniture, bedding or other items or if they wanted them to be donated to other area shelters.

Some organizations, such as the First Presbyterian Church Women’s Association, made their adopted rooms look homey, almost like bed and breakfast suites.

“Our women had made it our mission project,” said Marilyn Stout, former president of the Women’s Association. “At the time we did it, we did it as a charitable thing, in the right spirit. We don’t begrudge them if it doesn’t work out.”

She said she is disappointed that the shelter didn’t work out.

“When you give, you give in the right spirit,” she said. “In the interim, we decided to adopt a room at the Gospel Rescue Mission.”

She said the furniture the association donated for the room, including baby furniture, an area rug, lamps, a dresser and a mirror, will be given to the Gospel Rescue Mission.”

Hackbarth said he is not saying the shelter will never reopen.

“You never know how things will go in four or five years, or two or three years,” he said. “We do not want to give any false hope of keeping the shelter open.”

The Salvation Army closed its shelter in June 2004 after owing more than $100,000 to Salvation Army headquarters, utility companies and local suppliers. At the time, officials attributed the debt to lagging financial support and increased community needs.

In late 2006, Salvation Army Major Daniel Birks, the Muskogee commander at the time, expressed plans to reopen the shelter by January of 2007. Area churches, civic groups, businesses and individuals “adopted” rooms to redecorate for potential shelter residents.

The following April, the shelter remained unopened. Birks told the Phoenix that the Salvation Army needed $75,000 to operate until that October, plus another $150,000 a year to keep operating.

Birks left, and Hackbarth took over in June 2007.

In a July 17 letter to donors, Hackbarth said the Salvation Army’s previous administration did not have the building inspected before beginning the renovation process.