As the Columbus Municipal School District considers what to do with Franklin Academy, it’s natural to wonder if the Board of Trustees understands just how complicated finding a new use for the school through a partnership with a developer will be.

During a Monday work session, CMSD board members were informed that there already have been inquiries by potential developers for the school, which closed in May. One of those developers has already toured the school, they were told. Board president Robert Smith said interested parties are welcome to arrange a tour. He also said developers interested in the property should share their ideas for the property before the board.

If only it were that simple.

The complexity of any agreement goes far beyond a “kicking the tires” inspection and “make me an offer” approach.

It’s hard to fathom a more complicated scenario for repurposing a school facility than this one.

First, the district cannot sell the property outright because it is located on 16th Section land. State law dictates real estate in 16th Section land can be leased, but not sold.

What this means is that CMSD is looking for a partner for life, not a purchaser. CMSD will not be able to fully divest itself of the property as it did with the sale of Lee Middle School, which was not located on 16th Section land. Scott Berry purchased the facility for $450,000 in 2008.

Berry also agreed to cover the cost of hazard mitigation, mainly the removal of asbestos.

Similar mitigation, along with the cost of making the facility functional represent an enormous (and expensive) obstacle at Franklin.

During the work session, Jose Arellano, principal architect with PryorMorrow, presented the board with updated estimations for how much it would cost to cover necessary renovations at Franklin.

The total landed at about $23 million, Smith said. Arellano said properly weatherizing the building would run the district more than $5 million. That figure doesn’t include whatever mitigation costs may emerge as work begins.

Smith made it clear it would not be feasible for the school district to cover those costs.

To further complicate matters, structural changes to the facility have to be approved by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History due to Franklin’s historic landmark status.

Any potential developer should be made fully aware of the extent of all these challenges.

To achieve that, the district must consult with real estate development experts to draft a Request for Proposal (RFP). This is similar to the approach the Columbus Redevelopment Authority took in the recent sale of the Burns Bottom property.

Any large scale project like this has certain constants that would be present for any developer: environmental concerns, state of the current structure, blueprints, maps of the property, etc.

Compiling all of those details into a single document, along with overall goals for the project, would ensure potential developers are all working under the same assumptions.

This sort of detailed information is vital to a successful partnership with a serious developer.

Everyone in Columbus has a vested interest in seeing Franklin Academy find a new purpose rather than sink into decay.

We should understand that the process won’t be quick and certainly want to be simple.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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