The State House of Representatives is back on board in helping Mississippi University for Women move some dead weight.
The House passed House Bill 977 Thursday, which would allow MUW to sell Carrier Lodge. Similar legislation died during last year”s session when the Carrier bill was lumped in with other measures which would have given all state universities the power to sell property without legislative approval. Nora Miller, vice president of finance and administration at MUW, says the omnibus bill met with contention and died.
Now the bill is back and Miller says she sees no obstacles to its passage.
If the Senate passes the bill and it”s signed by the governor, Miller says MUW will use the money to invest in technology or an energy project that could save the school money in the future. Such projects include replacing steam boilers installed in 1956 which are still used to heat some buildings or placing individual meters on buildings which can be monitored and controlled off-site.
“It depends on which hole we need to fill,” said Miller.
MUW doesn”t know how much the Carrier Lodge is worth because it hasn”t been appraised.
“If we spent the money for an appraisal and (the bill) didn”t pass, the appraisal wouldn”t be good after a year,” explained Miller.
Assuming the bill passes, MUW will have the 48-year-old lodge appraised and must receive at least two bids. College Board policy states university property must be sold at a minimum of the average of at least two bids. All proceeds from the sale would then go to MUW.
Miller said several parties have expressed interested in buying the lodge, but wouldn”t say who.
The Carrier Lodge has been largely unused in recent years. The facility was built with dining and sleeping quarters to accommodate guests. It is now used primarily by social clubs to host meetings; it”s also a voting precinct.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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