Now that a new building is under construction for Putnam County Elementary School, what will become of the old building once it’s vacated?
At their work session Monday evening, Putnam County Board of Education members learned that the city of Eatonton is monitoring the school building. At the beginning of the meeting, Eatonton Mayor John Reid presented the city’s idea.
As he introduced the mayor, School Superintendent Derick Austin said the BOE had talked about selling the property and had it on the market for six months.
“We got five or six proposals, and the majority of them asked us to finance or rent or lease, and we would be in control of the building, and that is not what we wanted to have,” he said. “Once we built the new building, we hoped that the new owners would be able to take care of it and keep it up to par to repurpose as they saw fit. One of those proposals we got made sense to us, and we wanted to give Mayor Reid and the city an opportunity to talk to you.”
Reid said that he, several city council members, and City Administrator Gary Sanders were on hand to answer any BOE members’ questions, “and we’re here on the full support of our entire council for this facility."
“Right now, we are currently using four different facilities in town, and we have an opportunity here to consolidate all of our facilities into one space, and that would be a cost savings to Eatonton,” he said.
Considering the arrival of two new hotels in downtown Eatonton and other developments, the city will need additional staff.
Reid said the current city hall is already overflowing. He explained that the Eatonton Fire Department building has two bays, but it has four or five trucks. He said the police officers have no space during shift changes at the Eatonton Police Department, so they’re all parked on the street.
“And the roof is about to cave in on that building,” he said. “So, before we spend $3.5 million to fix up the old facilities, we can take money spent in this facility and make it work for us. … We have an opportunity to move all of everything we have into one facility and have our people who are coming into the city to be able to take care of all their business right there in one spot.”
When the mayor asked if anyone had questions, BOE District 2 representative and Vice Chairman Simone Jones noted that the elementary school is currently used by families who visit the playground due to its central location.
She wondered if the city would offer something similar. Austin said the school system would take the playground equipment from the old facility and use it in the new building when it opens.
BOE District 1 representative Doris Clemons expressed her concern about where the Life Source Food Distributions would be held.
“We’re looking forward to it being a municipal complex in which families can come together for different events,” Reid said. “That is the place where all the parades in the city of Eatonton always started, and we will continue those traditions. Of course, we’re going to have to talk it out and figure out how to make it work best for everybody. But we are here to serve the city of Eatonton; that facility is a taxpayer facility and if we maintain it, then it saves taxpayers, and we can make the best of it.”
Austin acknowledged the elementary school “is truly a hub for the city.”
“That’s the reason you’re here,” he said to Reid. “Because the board saw that out of the proposals, you were an entity that could keep the building up. The biggest thing for the board was they didn’t want it to become an eyesore, or vandalism, or things like that. And hopefully, if we can work something out, we don’t have to worry about that happening with that particular building.”
Mayor Reid chuckled and said it would be “the most protected place in town because the first thing you’ll see is the police department.”
BOE Chairman Dr. Steve Weiner, who represents District 3 in the Lake Oconee area, said he knew he would be asked by his constituents how the county residents would benefit from this transaction “as they have obviously significant funds in that property.”
“The county residents will use the facility for whatever reason they come in,” Reid said and added that many businesses in town are owned by people who live in the county so that they would be coming into the new facility, as would anyone who may need to see the local law enforcement. “So, I think that we can offer everybody an opportunity to work in that facility to use it for the best of their needs,” he said.
City Councilmember Janie Reid, who represents Ward 3, told Weiner, “You could explain to the county residents that you truly can’t live in the city or participate in the city without being in the county. So, that’s my philosophy: if they come to the city, it’s your county residence.”
In closing the conversation, Austin said the BOE members would discuss it more and then would get back to the city on their decision.
“And if we can work out the transfer deal, then we’ll come up with a timeline that’s adequate with us,” he said, noting that students were still in that building because the new one isn’t completed yet. “It is our goal that we’ll make a decision and be able to transfer this property to whoever gets it by January 2026.”