Century looks to keep old Carver school

The Century Town Council heard concerns from citizens about the future of the Carver Community Center at its meeting Tuesday, May 2 and although no action was taken, the council and residents agreed that saving the historical building is the priority, even if it has to be demolished and built back, utilizing the grant money originally meant for both community centers.

The town received a Community Development Block Grant about two years ago as part of the $5 billion Congress provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the CDBG program to states, metropolitan cities, urban counties, and insular areas to prevent, prepare for, and respond to Coronavirus.

At least 70 percent of every grant must be expended for activities that benefit low and moderate-income persons by providing housing, a permanent job, a public service, or access to new or significantly improved infrastructure. The remaining 30 percent may be used to eliminate slum or blighted conditions, or to address an urgent need for which the grantee certifies it has no other funding.

The town decided to spend those funds on one or both of the community centers. During the public forum, several residents who feel strongly about what happens to the Carver Community Center expressed their opinions at the meeting, emphasizing that it is an historical landmark, built and used for decades as Carver Elementary School. Some audience members said they were under the impression that it may be demolished and were upset.

Century Mayor Ben Boutwell said there was a walk-through inspection done recently with Kevin Merchant, the architect and the mayor, as part of a study. He said he understood the architect will put together a package based on the results of the study and inspection and turn it over to the town.

Councilman Luis Gomez referred to conversations he heard took place between the mayor and Century resident Marilyn Robinson, citing the lack of transparency. Boutwell explained that the electricity was turned off because they saw wires hanging out with no wire nuts, and there was shifting of floor joists that have caused soft spots in the floor that could be dangerous.

Gomez said he heard the word ‘condemned’ was used in the conversation and Boutwell apologized.

Boutwell said he was worried about safety and wanted to be sure no one entered the building. Council members expressed their desire to hear straight from the inspector.

Grant administrator Robin Phillips, with Jones, Phillips and Associates, gave an update to try to clarify what has occurred recently with the building.

“The architect’s been working,” said Phillips. “You can’t just go out and design something. It’s an older building. You have to go out and do all these studies, surveys, on the property. There have been lead inspections, there’s lead all through that building, everywhere. You have to have a termite inspection, which the results led to us having to have a structural inspection, and I had to have permission from the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to even do that.”

Phillips said she got permission to have Intertek PSI Solutions, a leading U.S. based provider of construction assurance, testing and inspection in civil and commercial construction, to go look at the boards behind the walls. She said they determined there’s a lot of damage. She suggested having the architect come to the next meeting and explain if the building is able to be renovated.

Further discussion prompted Phillips to tell the council that if it is determined the building is not able to be saved and renovated, they must make a decision whether to demolish it and spend the money on the other community center on Highway 4, leave it alone, or totally replace the building.

“We are all putting a best faith effort toward this,” said Phillips. “I want to renovate that community center as well. But you have to face facts in reality.”

Gomez said citizens were at the meeting under the impression that the building may be condemned and torn down and the feared it would happen sooner rather than later, based on what he said city hall was telling citizen. Both Phillips and Boutwell assured the council and audience members that it is totally up to the people what will happen to the building in future public hearings and council meetings when the final results of inspections are released.

“I don’t want to get up and ride around that block and that building is on the ground, or a fence around it,” said Gomez.

“You are in charge of what happens to that building,” said Phillips.

Discussion led Gomez to express his disappointment that it seems everything in Century seems to take too long for repairs to be made and that those repairs cannot be seen. Other citizens expressed their dissatisfaction at how the administrations in Century through the years have seemed to take from the citizens and seldom give.

Councilwoman Shelisa McCall asked where progress reports are and if the council members could get copies. Town Clerk Leslie Howington said she would make copies and make sure the council members get one.

Councilwoman Sandra McMurray Jackson asked Phillips if, in the event that the Carver Community Center has to be totally demolished and cannot be renovated, could the $2,835,000 allocated for construction on both community centers be used only on Carver. Phillips said yes. Phillips assured that if they tore it down, they would be required to rebuild something back there. She said the plan would be to build an exact replica or as close as possible to honor the building and its history in the town.

“You don’t have to do both buildings,” said Phillips. “It’s your priority.”