BOE, agencies discuss old school property
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
During its October 24 meeting, the Coosa County Board of Education and representatives for some agencies discussed the old school property on County Road 18 in Rockford and its potential use.
The building had previously been leased to the Rockford Council of Arts and Crafts. However, after some members of the RCAC board passed away and the building became dilapidated, the remaining board members decided to give the property back to the Board of Education.
At the October board meeting, the agenda included a resolution to “declare as surplus and to transfer ownership of the property owned by the Coosa County Board of Education, both building and land, commonly known as ‘The Rockford Arts and Crafts Building,’ to the Coosa County Sheriff’s Department, with a reverting interest to the Board of Education if the Sheriff’s Department ceases to use the property for law enforcement purposes, including authorization for the superintendent to sign all necessary papers.”
Board President Tiffany McCain called for a motion, and Board Member Sharon Massie made a motion to approve the resolution, with Jenny Kimbrell seconding the motion. Board Member Joe Belyeu was absent from the meeting.
With the floor then opened for discussion, the board heard from District 4 Board Member Sharon Coffman.
“I’ve been contacted by some members of the community who are concerned about this,” Coffman said. “Some of the things that I’ve had expressed are that the community hasn’t had an opportunity to express their desires or to look into those possibilities. I’ve had some say that they might be interested in the building, but didn’t feel like they had an opportunity to bring it up before the board.”
Coffman further stated, “I’d like to recommend that we table this until another meeting so that we can get an opportunity to inform the community, either from the newspaper or whatever means, so that the community has an opportunity to know more about it and feel better informed.”
She added that they love the Sheriff’s Office and want to give it everything it needs, but that she felt like the board needs to honor “some of the community members that have expressed their concerns.”
As such, she said that her recommendation was to table the matter.
Sheriff Michael Howell asked permission to speak and addressed the board, providing an overview of some background and information on plans he has for utilizing the property.
Howell explained that they had a dilemma come up with Tri-County Advocacy Center, a non-profit organization the Sheriff’s Office utilizes for interviewing children who are victims of sexual abuse, sexual assault and crimes of that nature. He said that the advocacy center was restricted on where its representatives could go.
He added that the Sheriff’s Office is running out of room in its building and that he felt like this was a great opportunity to help the Tri-County organization, as well as the Sheriff’s Office.
“That’s why I approached Mr. Stover about the possibility of that building,” Howell said. “It’s sat vacant for years. I don’t know if there’s been any interest really in years, other than people renting the building, such as Alfa insurance or the Farmers Federation. I think they’ve rented it a few times. Other than that, I don’t think there’s been much of an interest from the public outside of that.”
Howell added, “That would be the main focus, giving them a room or some space in that area to help serve the children of this county. It’ll also give the ability for us to have a site for what they call a SANE nurse, a sexual assault nurse that can examine these children. If a child is victimized at any point in this county, they’ve got only two options, go to Roanoke or go to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.”
He mentioned that they had a case a couple of months ago involving a child victim and that after the initial home visit with Russell Medical Center he had to send the family to Children’s Hospital because they could not get a SANE nurse through Tri-County to come to that area.
Coffman said that she does think that the Sheriff’s Office would be an honorable use of the building. However, she said that she has been concerned about the input she has received from some community members.
“They’ve told me there were other community members that were concerned about its use and that they did not feel like they had an opportunity to speak their opinion,” she said. “So I’m not saying yea or nay on it, but I think it’s good community relations just to give the community an opportunity to say what they want to say, and it may not change what we propose to do at all.”
Superintendent of Education David Stover said that some other agencies had expressed interest in the building, but that they had not followed up with him about it.
“There have been some other entities that have talked to me about it, and it’s been a couple of months,” he said. “I tell these people come see it, look, let me know, let’s meet, let’s talk, and I haven’t had anybody. When it comes to that point, I’ve got to make a decision. I need to move this facility because right now we’re paying everything on it. Moving it to a government entity is the best process to get a property over, like we did to Rockford when we gave them the school and things like that years ago. Those are the organizations that we can sign the property over to, and then they take over the responsibility.”
Stover further explained that the purpose of having the matter on the agenda for that meeting was to indicate that the board is interested in the sheriff moving forward with it and to give Howell permission to move forward and work on pursuing it, including for him to further look into it and begin doing the paperwork and process to get the building.
Stover stated that the board would not be giving the building to the Sheriff’s Office that day, but rather saying if the board thinks it is a viable option and let the sheriff move forward.
After further discussion, Rockford Mayor Scott White asked permission to speak and addressed the council speaking for the town.
“Of course we want to support the sheriff, as well,” White said. “I did reach out about the building, too, a while back, and several have. But the thing about it is, when we had a conversation, he said let us [the board] take over the building from the Arts Council and then we would get together and talk about it. So I took that as he would reach out and talk. We haven’t had those talks.”
White added, “But aside, Rockford is growing, if you haven’t noticed, and improving. So that’s something we’re looking at. We just want to make sure that, in the public world, everybody’s getting their fair shot at something. We can see that building, also, as a community center, allowing several other agencies to use it. They have an auditorium in there, which our school does not have. We would like to repair that and have pageants and plays and also allow the school to come use that if they should need that.”
White said he knows that the sheriff needs space, but that he thought they just had a “double build out” at the Sheriff’s Office for additional space.
During discussion, Stover said, “We gave you the school, and there’s a lot of opportunities there to develop what you’re trying to say right now, as well, and it’s still not getting going. There’s some good places that are set out that are good. We have a facility over there in the E-911 building, which we donated to you guys, that we were asked to take our equipment and get out of after giving it to another entity. You guys gave it to them – Rockford did. So, as far as right now, I’m looking to help others. That’s kind of what I’m looking at. It would give them an opportunity to grow.”
“The people that had interest could have come to me at any point and talked,” Stover added. “We talk every day. I’m OK if y’all want to do whatever you want to do; I’m just trying to move the building so that it doesn’t cost us in the future and it doesn’t get more dilapidated. That’s the only reason I want to get rid of the building.”
Howell said that he does need some additional office space and that he thinks this property would serve the public with the Sheriff’s Office utilizing the property.
Speaking on the town, Howell said, “They have an auditorium. They have a gym. They have an old auditorium that needs some fixing up. So they do have those areas that they can utilize that’s right there at the community center or whatever they’re referring to it as. I appreciate y’all’s consideration. I appreciate y’all tabling it, too. I wish those people were here today so they could have voiced their opinions, as well, about that facility. I hate to see it sit there and rot. I look across the road and see stuff rotting all the time. I think it’s going to serve the community. I appreciate y’all, and I hope y’all see that it will serve the community and will serve our children.”
Lynn Anne Castleberry with BridgeWays then also spoke up addressing the board.
“I have personally asked Mr. Stover for 18 months or more about that school, as recently as last month,” Castleberry said. “So the whole ‘there’s not been communication, no one’s shown interest, it’s not been timely…’ My boss was down from Birmingham. We were given a tour of the building. We’ve been in it; didn’t need to go in it again. We already knew what situation the building was in. I’m a little dismayed that it’s being made to sound like no one else has been recently showing or voicing interest.”
After further discussion with White and Howell, Stover spoke up and said, “We understand everybody’s working hard to get what they can, and I understand that. Let’s look at it some more. We’re going to have to decide eventually.”
Discussion ensued, at which time Stover said, “We’re not going to sit here and argue.”
Board President McCain then called for a motion to table the agenda item. The board unanimously approved tabling the matter, while discussion continued in the audience between Howell and White as the board began moving to the next agenda item.
Castleberry said, “Shut up.”
Howell responded, “Don’t tell me to shut up.”
“I just did,” Castleberry said, at which time Stover stated that they had to be quiet.
“I’m sorry, I’m just trying to get them to stop arguing,” Castleberry said.
Stover stated, “Just let us finish our meeting, thank you.”
In other business during the October meeting, the board unanimously approved acceptance of a letter of resignation from Jarrod Washington, bus driver, effective October 11.
The board also unanimously approved support for the Central Office bookkeeper/inventory clerk position by allowing up to 25 days of training by Judy Voss at her current daily rate.
Additionally the board nominated a voting delegate and alternative delegate to represent the board during the 2024 Delegate Assembly to be held at the Annual AASB Convention scheduled for December 6-7. The board nominated and approved McCain as the voting delegate and Kimbrell as the alternative delegate.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, November 21. This will also be the board’s annual meeting to include the election of officers and establishment of regularly scheduled meetings, as well as public comments regarding the allotment of public funds or administration of the Coosa County schools.
