The Clarke County School District Board of Education approved $142,000 to clean up the West Broad Street School following a recent fire at the site. Members were concerned that the school had gotten to this state in the first place.
The Athens-Clarke County Fire Department responded to a fire at the West Broad Street School on October 2. They reported the cause as arson. The fire marshal recommended cleaning up the interior to prevent future vandalism. The school will also need to undergo asbestos abatement.
The Board of Education had plans to demolish some of these buildings in 2021, though it failed to approve them.
Historic Athens, a nonprofit dedicated to improving historical preservation, says West Broad Street School was one of the first places in the late nineteenth century to provide education for local African-American students.
Board member Linda Davis represents the district where the school is. She says she wants the board to be more proactive about securing the campus.
“It does not look like anything I would want to hang my little hat up and say, oh yeah, this is great CCSD property. I need for it to look better. I need for it to be more functioning… We will never be able to buy a piece of property on that street ever in the history of the school district, so it has to remain ours, and we need to take care of it as if we value it.”
Board members approved the funding unanimously.
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