At the Florida Preservation Conference in Pensacola this year, the Fidelis school located on Highway 87 in the town of Jay joined 10 others in a Florida Trust list of 11 historic structures to save.
Converted in the mid-1980's to what is now the Fidelis Community Center, the schoolhouse was built in 1925 and had additions in the 1940s through 1960s.
The county has considered demolishing the structure to make way for other projects due to a lack of funding to upgrade it and bring it up to code for use as a community center.
Jay resident and president of the Jay Historical Society Matthew Dobson nominated the schoolhouse after finding out there was a lot of interest in saving the 1925 structure.
“I had conversations with the bureau chief of the Historic Board for Florida, and we were talking about structures that might qualify,” said Dobson. “She let me know Fidelis would qualify and she told me to read up on the Save the 11 in Florida, that I might want to apply, through the Jay Historical Society. I found out there was overwhelming support to save it, so I filled out the paperwork. The committee chose to put it on the list, so I had a short period of time to put it together.”
Dobson said he knew there was a grant the county had been awarded and they had said they were going to look at demolishing the school, but that was only one of the options, to restore it, move it or demolish it.
“The county is still looking at demolishing it,” said Dobson. “The state was awarded a $200,000 grant for parks and recreation. County Commissioner Don Salter matched the $200,000, but it will take additional funds to restore the school house.”
According to Dobson, for Phase 1, they will improve one of the ball fields by installing standing bathroom facilities and some better lighting for the park. In Phase 2, the county will make a decision on what to do with the Fidelis schoolhouse.
“Because it landed on the 11 to save, now the Florida Trust Historic Preservation will assign an ambassador to work with Jay Historical Society to formulate a plan to try to save it,” said Dobson. “That will involve working with the county. I think with the help of Florida Trust and their wisdom of resources, they will be able to give us great guidance and direction.
He said the building has to be functional in the end, so it can be utilized to meet the needs of the community.
“If Fidelis gets it, they will have to have funds to upgrade it and get it up to code,”said Dobson. “I think it being on the 11 to save, it will be a property on the state and give us an advantage to find the funds. There are small matching grants the town will apply for but not a lot of money. It can lead to other opportunities. I'm hoping it will put us as a priority in gaining some more finds to preserve it.” Dobson said the schoolhouse qualifies for the National Historic Registry under two criteria; it is educational, because they do not build school houses like that any more and architecturally, due to the style.
He said there were some people in state who knew it was an old building, and so if there was enough interest, the historical society could apply. Dobson said as president, he found out there was.
“If you have a structure that qualifies for the National Historic Registry, why would you not try to preserve it?”said Dobson. “It may bring in some business, some revenue, some interest. An assessment was done and that's what brought it to the forefront.”
The Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners are holding a public meeting Thursday, May 23rd at 9 a.m. at 6495 Caroline Street in Milton. The Fidelis Recreation and Community Center Improvements Update is on the agenda and the public is encouraged to attend.
Prior to the meeting visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/fidelissurvey and complete the brief survey today to voice opinions and address concerns personally to the Board of County Commissioners.
“This is vital to Jay and to the people that live and play here in this community,” said Dobson.
