Old SCHS building may be demolished

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
By John I. Carney

Bedford County Board of Commissioners voted earlier this month to board up the old Harris Middle School/Central High School building on Elm Street, but the commission's courthouse and property committee is now talking about tearing it down altogether.

Highway Superintendent Stanley Smotherman said his department would be willing to take on the demolition as an off-season project, if the county could reimburse labor costs. He said that offer is dependent on there not being asbestos or other hazardous materials in the building.

Smotherman said it would take "an astronomical amount of money" to renovate the building and that the county would probably have more success selling an attractive lot rather than selling the building to someone who would have to pay to demolish it anyway.

Commissioners Billy King and Joe Tillett both said they've been told that all the asbestos was removed from the building during previous projects, although Tillett said he's not sure if that includes flooring.

The committee said an environmental assessment is needed before the demolition can proceed. Committee member Linda Yockey moved to recommend to the full commission that such an assessment be conducted and that, if it's favorable, the highway department be allowed to demolish the building.

The demolition (and any future sale of property) would affect only the main, two-story classroom building. The county school system is using the single-story annex as Bedford County Learning Academy, and the City of Shelbyville has agreed to lease the gymnasium and other athletic facilities. The county plans to keep those portions of the site.

Meanwhile, the county's building consultant, Bud Melson, has recommended that the old Bedford County Medical Center be only partially boarded up due to the parts of it that are still being used by Bedford County Nursing Home. County Mayor Eugene Ray said that there have been a few potential inquiries about buying the hospital building.

"We've got some interest in it," said Ray.

On the other side of the hospital are two empty lots and two county-owned buildings that are now being used by The Next Step Home. Although the county had agreed some time ago to let The Next Step Home use the houses, the lease agreement has apparently not yet been formalized, and in the meantime the county has been paying utility costs.

The committee voted to ask the county attorney to draw up a formal lease agreement which would shift those utility costs to the non-profit agency. The committee also asked that if The Next Step Home does not need an unsightly storage building on the property, the county be allowed to demolish it.

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When these buildings are demolished,are materials "triaged" for salvage or just dumped?

It would seem that even the most hazardous and derelict buildings might hold *information* worth keeping-if not bricks,glass,wood,fixtures and any furnishings that might remain.

I know that homes have been razed overnight whose fireplace tiles,stained glass windows,millwork and such would have sold for more than the land.

Even old barn siding has its market.

A dangerously worn gym floor,for instance,might yield enough intact planks for someone's den.

(They'd get a piece of local history and we'd get money toward a new gym floor.)

If possible,could materials in these vintage structures be recycled for repairs to other buildings or to erect new places?

If we didn't want to fool with the work,maybe someone who does such reclamation for a living would do it for us.

They might even pay us for the privilege.

-- Posted by quantumcat on Wed, Nov 19, 2008, at 11:26 AM

Let's just hope this demolition goes better than the ones on Depot Street. LOL.

-- Posted by tatersue on Wed, Nov 19, 2008, at 3:24 PM

does the building not have asbestos in ie.

-- Posted by pierce1110 on Wed, Nov 19, 2008, at 5:29 PM

WHY?THE ADULT HIGH SCHOOL NEED HAS NOT BEEN TALKED ABOUT YET.WHY START A COLLEGE WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE NEED TO EDUCATE A LARGER GROUP HERE THAT WOULD BENEFIT OUR SOCIETY AS MUCH AS COLLEGE EDUCATED?WAKE UP BEDFORD COUNTY!YOUR BUILDINGS ARE ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC HEARINGS.WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.WHAT'S THE RUSH?HEY,IF THE OLD CHS IS SOLD,SELL IT AS IS.

-- Posted by grandpat on Wed, Nov 19, 2008, at 6:40 PM

It sure was nice of the county to spend our tax money on putting in the elevator, just before they stop usng it and now that will be torn up. Guess they will want a tax increase next.

-- Posted by Lower Taxes Please on Wed, Nov 19, 2008, at 9:00 PM

grandpat . . .don't they already have an adult program for people to obtain a high school diploma? I believe it is still located at the old railroad station on Depot Street.

I still don't know why they are focusing so much money on demolishing things with the budget and the economy the way it is. I also never understood why the library couldn't move into one of those bigger buildings since they need more room but maybe they need something that would allow them more access to use more technology?

-- Posted by jaxspike on Thu, Nov 20, 2008, at 9:08 AM

Finally, after years... the city is deciding to clean up the image. Unfortunately it comes on the heels of the "spending freeze"... or lack there of.

-- Posted by darrick_04 on Thu, Nov 20, 2008, at 7:31 PM