By Sterling McGinn
An advisory committee of residents and school officials held a second meeting to find a plan for the nearly century-old high school building now closed. The meeting took place at Zellar’s Village Inn on Thursday, March 5 at 6 p.m. There were 12 individuals in attendance.
The project was the idea of Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher Linus Parr, who hopes to save the building from the wrecking ball. District Superintendent Shawn Tebo is supportive of the project.
“We do have a 100-year anniversary coming up—it was built in 1926—some of the stuff is original and it is a really unique school,” Tebo said. “However, it is deteriorating, and this is the second year that there hasn’t been students and staff in there.”
This is also the first winter the building has gone without heat, and the roof is leaking considerably at the front of the building.
Discussions at the previous meeting centered around winning grants to save and restore the building. Ideas of expanded trades and CTE classes, apartments for traveling hospital staff and other professionals, a restored second floor gym, and using the auditorium for community functions were discussed.
“It was determined that for it to remain in possession of the school, we wouldn’t be eligible for a lot of the grants that are out there,” Tebo said. To avoid that, transferring ownership to a non-profit or different entity could make the building eligible for more grants.
If a non-profit is formed to take control of the building, work would need to be done to clear the title. Greg Rathje said the title is still in the name of the McMillan Township School District, which hasn’t existed in decades.
“The title would need to be cleared up before you do a land division,” said Rathje. “In 1965, the entire campus was not titled correctly to the successor district during the 1965 consolidation.”
Tebo said she would contact a title company as a first step.
Luce County EDC Director Tammy Henry spoke at the meeting.
“There is a daycare program that I would love to bring to Newberry,” she said. “There is funding for it called Tri-Share. The employer pays a third of the daycare cost, the employee pays a third, and the state pays a third. There is money to help get buildings certified. It would be a great space for it, but it has to be sound first.”
One concern is that the building is still attached to the current school facility. Tebo said that it could easily be detached, though the buildings would still be close together.
Funding for a feasibility study is another project to be addressed.
The first necessary project, though, is a new roof for the building. Tebo said it that work would cost nearly a quarter of a million dollars, and it doesn’t include shoring up the front cornice that is leaning forward.
The group’s next meeting will take place on Thursday, April 9 at 6 p.m. at Zellars. The public is welcome.
