Fairhope, Alabama
ABANDONED CHURCH STREET PROPERTY
During their monthly meeting next week (Nov. 1st), the city's Educational Advisory Committee will hear a new proposal from FEEF (the non-profit Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation) concerning the Baldwin County Board of Education's old K-1 property that has been vacant for many years.
EAC Chairman Summersell:
"On Nov 1st @ 4:30 PM in the Fairhope Library (upstairs conference room), FEEF will present its master plans for re-purposing the Fairhope K-1 facility to the EAC. All citizens are invited to attend and learn more about FEEF's multiple years of planning and professionally developed designs. If implemented, it could add enormous enrichment in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) as well as other learning opportunities to the Fairhope Feeder Pattern."
Robert Brown, the city council's representative on the EAC, called FEEF's proposal a good looking plan: the four newer buildings on the north side would be used for STEAM and the main building for other administrative purposes, possibly some of it much-needed additional space for the city offices or leased out to others.
At some point the long-talked-about performing arts facility for the city could be considered for somewhere on the property if the city can "obtain it" from the Board of Education, Brown said.
Coastal Community College (formerly Faulkner) would be involved in the restoration project as well.
Mayor Wilson told the Times she thought the property was available, but title/ownership issues still had to be ironed out.
(The Times has witnessed Board of Education meetings where the majority seem in favor of demolishing all of their older, vacant buildings county-wide due to liability and maintenance cost issues; others cite "sentimental" reasons in the various communities for keeping them though.)
THIS YEAR'S EAC FUNDING PUT ON HOLD
Also, the EAC has decided to put this year's $350K supplemental funding from the city to the five local county schools on hold after specific proposals worked out with local school principals for the use of the money was changed significantly by the county-level school administrators.
The $350K is still being requested to be included in the FY 2018 city budget, but specifics are "tabled for now ... to take a long step back ... and look at the bigger picture," Summersell said.
Councilman Brown: "We're taking a step back ... to re-evaluate how to move forward ... (we are) not getting the necessary response from the county ... as far as accountability ... supporting what our money is doing."
Council president Burrell said their requests keep changing every year, making establishing benchmarks for measuring progress problematic: "If we change again when do we have certainty, a benchmark?"
Brown called the AKRIBOS study (click) commissioned by the city in 2016 "the path forward" but added "we've got to get all three parties involved (council, BOE, EAC) ... that is breaking down now."
"What was funded last year is not the direction the county wanted to go this year," he said.
(Former city officials toured the building in 2013, but nothing ever came of that effort - click.)
ABANDONED CHURCH STREET PROPERTY
During their monthly meeting next week (Nov. 1st), the city's Educational Advisory Committee will hear a new proposal from FEEF (the non-profit Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation) concerning the Baldwin County Board of Education's old K-1 property that has been vacant for many years.
EAC Chairman Summersell:
"On Nov 1st @ 4:30 PM in the Fairhope Library (upstairs conference room), FEEF will present its master plans for re-purposing the Fairhope K-1 facility to the EAC. All citizens are invited to attend and learn more about FEEF's multiple years of planning and professionally developed designs. If implemented, it could add enormous enrichment in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) as well as other learning opportunities to the Fairhope Feeder Pattern."
 |
| EAC chairman Summersell |
At some point the long-talked-about performing arts facility for the city could be considered for somewhere on the property if the city can "obtain it" from the Board of Education, Brown said.
Coastal Community College (formerly Faulkner) would be involved in the restoration project as well.
Mayor Wilson told the Times she thought the property was available, but title/ownership issues still had to be ironed out.
(The Times has witnessed Board of Education meetings where the majority seem in favor of demolishing all of their older, vacant buildings county-wide due to liability and maintenance cost issues; others cite "sentimental" reasons in the various communities for keeping them though.)
THIS YEAR'S EAC FUNDING PUT ON HOLD
Also, the EAC has decided to put this year's $350K supplemental funding from the city to the five local county schools on hold after specific proposals worked out with local school principals for the use of the money was changed significantly by the county-level school administrators.
The $350K is still being requested to be included in the FY 2018 city budget, but specifics are "tabled for now ... to take a long step back ... and look at the bigger picture," Summersell said.
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| EAC October meeting |
Council president Burrell said their requests keep changing every year, making establishing benchmarks for measuring progress problematic: "If we change again when do we have certainty, a benchmark?"
Brown called the AKRIBOS study (click) commissioned by the city in 2016 "the path forward" but added "we've got to get all three parties involved (council, BOE, EAC) ... that is breaking down now."
"What was funded last year is not the direction the county wanted to go this year," he said.
(Former city officials toured the building in 2013, but nothing ever came of that effort - click.)
Comments
As for the city giving money to the Schools, you're either giving money or your not. What accountability do you think you need? Write a check to baldwin county and tell them what you want it spent for. if it isn't spent for that, have them give you the money back. It's that simple, unless you guys are trying to tell them what to do in which case you need to stay in your lane and let school people handle school matters.
Just an eye sore now.
Just another shell game!
Fairhope should make whatever contributions that the City would like to make, but Fairhope should not donate a dime if we can't designate where our money goes.
Baldwin County Board of Education does not appear to 'play well with others'.
Plan1: Raise private dollars to renovate the building for community (performing arts) and educational functions.
Plan 2: City would sell the current city hall property to developers. Funds from the sale of the property would be used to renovate the K-1 school, with K-1 school to be used as the new city administration offices. Developers would use the current city hall property to build a hotel and shopping village.
When the lawsuits get done they will be buying anyway, money saved from attornys for building.