UPDATE!
According to Council Meadows facebook page the resolution has been withdrawn. It is also withdrawn on the agenda. No other news is available at this time.
THE OLD SCHOOL RESOLUTION FOR TONIGHT’S COUNCIL HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN
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This Tuesday Councilman Meadows will be presenting a resolution to Greenville County Council asking that $1,181,990 be removed from the budget that was set aside to go to the Greenville School District. The resolution will also ask that part of those funds be used to purchase the old Berea School with the remaining used to refurbish it.
Greenville County and the School District have been negotiating the property for the past 5 months with no success. Details of the negotiating are of course confidential, so the public is not sure what has been offered and declined. Regardless, this seems to be the last ditch effort for the County to try and purchase the property but at full asking price. However the money will be coming from funding that was set aside for the School District and with the passing of this resolution the School District will only be getting $550,000 instead of $1,181,990 plus whatever the previous offer from Greenville County was.
It will be interesting to see what the other members of Greenville County Council will say about this proposal. At the very least it is a very public message sent to the Greenville School District regarding the way they are handling negotiations of the old Berea School.
Please attend the meeting at 6:00 pm on Tuesday May 3rd at County Square in Downtown Greenville. It will be presented at the end of the meeting but as always these meetings are very informative so it will speed by. If you would like to speak you must sign up before the meeting.
Here is the agenda
Here is a link to the resolution
Here is Councilman Meadows Facebook Page
A RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE ACQUISITION OF THE BEREA SCHOOL FOR COUNTY AND COMMUNITY USE, AND TO INITIATE AN AMENDMENT TO THE COUNTY’S FISCAL YEAR 2016-17 BUDGET TO REMOVE $1,181,990 DESIGNATED FOR THE GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
WHEREAS, Greenville County (“County”) has been negotiating with the School District of Greenville County (“School District”) to acquire the Old Berea School property for the purpose of relocating Summary Court operations over five months without any success; and
WHEREAS, the construction of the present Old Berea School was originally funded by the taxpayers of Berea at twenty-five percent of the cost with a New Deal era program (WPA/PWA) paying seventy-five percent of the cost of building the school; and
WHEREAS, the School District was given the Old Berea School as a result of the consolidation of the schools across the County; and
WHEREAS, in 1999 the School District declared the Old Berea School property as surplus; and WHEREAS, the present Summary Court buildings housing magistrates serving the Berea area is in poor condition and needs replacing; and
WHEREAS, there is an established need for a community center for the Berea Community; and
WHEREAS, Greenville County is currently giving the School District $1,181,990.00 in the coming budget.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Greenville County directs the County Administrator to offer up to $550,000.00 for the Old Berea School property in order to move the Summary Court offices to this site and other potential uses of the building and grounds, and to execute any necessary contracts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that County Council initiate an amendment to the County’s 2016-17 Budget to remove the $1,181,990.00 set aside for the School District and provide those funds to purchase the Old Berea School property with any excess funds to be used to refurbish the building as needed; and
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any part of the Old Berea School not used for Summary Court and magistrates’ offices will be offered to the Berea Community for possible use as a senior center and community meeting place.
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