In a new twist to the city school district’s continuing Lee Middle School sale saga, another interested buyer has emerged — the Lowndes County School District.
The LCSD board of trustees voted unanimously Friday to begin a reverse bid process for the 96,350-square-foot-building, which is situated on 14.4 acres on Military Road.
The district has been seeking potential sites for a consolidated vocational career center, with Lee Middle being one of the options, LCSD Superintendent Lynn Wright said.
He has toured the facility and says there is a possibility of asbestos, but an environmental study will cost around $2,500.
“We don’t know if it is a suitable site or viable alternative for us to use,” he said.
Board member Brian Clark asked about the possibility of using East Mississippi Community College in Mayhew as another option, but Wright said he felt distance would be an issue, with it taking roughly an hour for Caledonia students to travel there.
“I would like to see if it’s something we could afford to do if it’s feasible,” Clark said.
Wright appeared before the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors in March requesting funding for the vocational center. He estimates the project will cost approximately $15 million and will give the district’s students a broader range of classes to pick between.
Tech Prep is offered at all three middle and high schools in the county. New Hope High School offers robotics and engineering while Caledonia High School offers carpentry and health services. Students at West Lowndes High School are offered business fundamentals and masonry. But although students are allowed to travel between campuses to pursue their interests, the logistics — with each school roughly 20 miles apart — are such that no students currently do so.
The Columbus Municipal School District put Lee Middle School on the market in early 2012. Point of Grace Church made an offer of $175,000 in July 2012 but the offer was rejected. Kingdom Vision International has also expressed interest in the facility but an official offer has yet to be made.
The city school board has held executive sessions during the last three board meetings to discuss the property, but no action has been taken.
Earlier this week, the board unanimously approved a motion to apply for a Brownsfields grant to test for contamination on the site.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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