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| Group to present plans to save oldest public building |
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| News - Spring Hill | |||
| Written by Brian McCauley | |||
| Wednesday, 17 December 2008 08:00 | |||
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A group seeking to preserve the oldest public building in Spring Hill plans to present its ideas at the town’s city council meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at 400 N. Madison St. Co-organizer Loveta Medlin said about 14 people met Dec. 10 in an effort to find a workable alternative to the planned demolition of the old Spring Hill Grade School. “We did make some progress,” she said, adding those attending discussed the cost of fixing up the old building for needed office space versus the cost of building a new building in another location. Spring Hill Mayor Mark Squire said the school building was constructed sometime in the 1930s and was used by the school district until the new elementary school was built. “We’ve had it for about 13 years, when the school district sold the entire block for $1,” he said. Some of the newer additions to the building are being used for city offices and a community center, but the original building has not been used or maintained. While the city and the Spring Hill Police Department need more room, there are obstacles to using the old school building for that purpose. Spring Hill City Administrator Jon Roberts said although it is structurally sound, the building has some significant safety issues, and Squire agrees. “There are no plans for renovating it,” Squire said. “The roof has been leaking for five years, and water penetration has caused the floor to deteriorate in places. It needs a complete rehab. The old boiler system really isn’t safe anymore.” Although the building has “a fair amount of square footage,” he said it’s not big enough to meet the needs of the city and the police department on a long-term basis. Also, the cost of renovating and remodeling the old building to make it suitable is too high compared to the cost of a new building, he said. “There is a resolution in place to take bids for the demolition of the old school,” Squire said. Nevertheless, he said he would like to see the old school preserved, “Not so much to be used by the city, but because of its historic value,” Squire said. Its value as a representation of the city’s history, as well as its architectural character and the ambience it lends to the community, are all good reasons to try and save it, he said. “It would be good to keep it in the city’s inventory.” Medlin and the rest of her group know that’s going to take more support from more people. “Please get the word out that if people are interested in saving the building, they should come to the city council meeting on Dec. 18,” she said.
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