A derelict building of the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District may soon be on its way to repairs following a vote by the school board Thursday night.
The board voted to hire Architectonics architect Thomas C. Stewart for the repair of the roof of the former East Oktibbeha High School in Crawford. The board also approved the advertising of bids for the roof repair.
Both measures were approved 3-0, with one seat empty and Board President Lee Brand Jr. absent.
“We’ve got a couple of leaks going on there, and to get the building in good working order, we’re going ahead and fixing that roof,” said Assistant Superintendent David Baggett.
Baggett said if the estimate was more than $50,000, the district would have to put the project out for bid, and hoped to put the bids out as soon as possible. If the estimate is below $50,000, the district will be able to receive quotes for the project and select the best quote.
If bids are necessary, work may start within 60 days. If not, work could potentially start sooner.
“If we can do it for under $50,000, we can get a couple of quotes on it,” Baggett said.
Baggett said the district would soon be receiving quotes on the project to determine whether bids were necessary.
Repairs to the East High School roof had been discussed previously by the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors as part of a deal for the sale or lease of the former Mississippi Department of Health building on Lynn Lane as a possible new headquarters for the district, replacing many offices currently located at the Greensboro Center. The county has discussed using the building as a community center.
Baggett said he was unsure what the current status of the deal was. However, he said Superintendent Eddie Peasant was continuing his talks with the supervisors on it.
“We just want to make sure we keep these buildings in working order because you never know what they could be utilized for in the future,” Baggett said.
The East High School building has been empty since consolidation, when its student body was sent to Starkville High School.