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Dade City rejects offer of high school building

The county's oldest high school building is at risk after both the district and the city decline to save it.

By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published November 8, 2005

DADE CITY - The fate of Pasco County's first high school building is back in the hands of the school district.

In a Nov. 1 letter, Dade City Manager Harold Sample declined the school district's offer to give the city the building, which sits on the grounds of Pasco Middle School, close to downtown.

"The restoration of this building would be a monumental, unrealistic task for the city, given its limited financial resources and other pending obligations and commitments," Sample wrote to school superintendent Heather Fiorentino.

The 13,000-square-foot building, constructed in 1914, is polluted with asbestos and complies with virtually no building standards. A consultant concluded that renovating it would cost more than $1-million - and that was in 1989.

Further, a 2004 study commissioned by the school district determined that the building's historical value was lost when it was remodeled in 1951.

Still, it seemed to retain sentimental value. It served as the only high school in the county for a while, dating to a time when most people settled for only an elementary education.

Former students have signed petitions calling for its preservation. But from that perspective, the building's fate appeared bleak.

Fiorentino could not be reached Monday, but she and her predecessor, John Long, both said in the past that they favored demolition over restoration. The school district stopped using the building in 1994.

Many have tried to find grant money to pay for updates. Last year, Dade City's Historic Preservation Board recommended applying for a matching state grant that would have left the city on the hook for about $350,000. Citing financial concerns, city commissioners rejected that option.

Jean Ward, historic board chairwoman, said Monday that the area will be losing a significant piece of history.

"I can't understand why all of a sudden that they want to get rid of it because they don't have anything else that they want to build on that spot," she said. "Why not wait?"

Ward said the building's significance is not appreciated enough.

The building should be considered for other uses besides classroom space, she said, such as after-school activities or performing arts.

But in a meeting this summer, the School Board approved offering the building to Dade City and, if the offer was declined, tearing it down.

"If they are not interested, the next step would be to proceed with plans for removal of the building," Fiorentino wrote in a June 21 memo. "Estimated cost for removal is $50,000 to $60,000."

--Molly Moorhead covers news about Dade City. She can be reached at 352 521-6521 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6521. Her e-mail address is moorhead@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 8, 2005, 02:15:36]