Public Can Help Decide Future of Old School Site

CENTRAL — The Central Community School Board is seeking ideas from the public on the future use of the old Central Middle School property on the southeast corner of Hooper and Sullivan roads.  The site includes 29 acres of land, the old school building, Wildcat Stadium, and parking.

The school board held a public hearing to receive comments Monday night at the Central High School Theatre and will continue to receive ideas through the end of October.  At Monday’s hearing, ideas included:

• Creation of a City Center with City Hall, post office, school board office, civic auditorium, and commercial and retail developments.

• Construction of a Sports Complex with lighted baseball and softball fields

• A new high school

• A vo-tech facility

• Some combination of all of the above.

Supt. Mike Faulk said Wednesday that members of the public wishing to make proposals or submit ideas or comments should drop them off at the school board office at 13421 Hooper Road, Suite 6, Central, LA 70818 or email them to him at mfaulk@centralcss.org by Oct. 31.

He said a decision could be made before the end of the year.

Comments from the public hearing included the following:

• Dr. Keith Holmes said the property is one of the most valuable assets of the school system and that it should be used to bring in revenue to the system, not just used for a sports complex.

• Kelly Russell, a landscape architect and land planner, said the property has tremendous possibilities and could provide perpetual revenue for the school system by leasing it out.

• Elva Jo Crawford said a road should be built from Central High School north across Wax Road and then northwest to the old middle school.  She said the old Girls Gym should be preserved as a historic building and used as a museum, and that an assembly center should be built on the property.

• Coach Sid Edwards favored building a Sports Complex on part of the property including a lighted baseball and softball field.

• Anita Evans said Bellingrath Hills Elementary and Tanglewood should be moved to the high school, and the old Middle School property should become the new Central High School.

• Aaron Moak said development of the property should be a joint venture between the city and school board.  He advocated preserving the old Girls Gym and renovating the old Auditorium, which was condemned in the 1980’s.

• Woody Jenkins said the property is the ideal City Center that Central has needed.  He said it could be a development that included City Hall, school board office, post office, civic auditorium, and commercial and residential areas.  “Bear in mind that the widening of Hooper and Sullivan roads and the extension of Hooper Road across the Amite would dramatically increase travel in front of the site, making it ideal for a City Center and a commercial center.”  He said Fairhope, Alabama, provides a good model, because the city has retained ownership of the land and leases it out for 99 years.  In this case, the school board could retain ownership, sell certain development rights, which would be subject to approval by the school board and the city, and collect rents.  Because the property would be owned by the school board, it would not be subject to property taxes, which would allow the school board to collect additional rents in lieu of property taxes, thereby providing continuing revenue.

• Dave Freneaux said the school board should think big.  This is a once-in-a-hundred-years opportunity, he said, and people might be willing to pay additional taxes for the project.

• Louise Rauls suggested part of the property be used as a technology center for vo-tech classes.

School board president Dr. Jim Gardner said the board welcomes additional ideas from the public.