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Hernando school receives favorable grant ranking

The renovation of the Historic Hernando School is No. 7 on a list of projects being considered for state funding.

By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published November 28, 2005

HERNANDO - Another round of renovations will be under way during the coming summer and fall months at the Historic Hernando School, provided a favorable ranking for a state grant comes through.

Earlier this month, the state Bureau of Historic Preservation ranked the Hernando school's grant request seventh among 105 projects.

Often, only the first 50 or so grants are funded, said Kathy Turner Thompson, director of the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum and one of the people who helped prepare the grant application. The grant was approved two years ago, but funding was not available during the review process for those two years.

"I don't want to say that it's a sure thing," Turner Thompson said of this year's ranking. "But being ranked seventh, that's pretty close to it."

If the state approves the grant, the County Commission, which owns the building, will get $327,216. The money will be used for ongoing renovations at the school, which has offices for several area charities. The money would be disbursed after July 1, when the next fiscal year begins for state government.

The grant will pay for hiring a contractor to supervise the installation of new electrical systems, heating and air conditioning installation, upgraded plumbing, handicap-accessible fixtures, pest control and abatement of the auditorium flooring.

The tiles of the auditorium floor were installed with a glue that contains asbestos, Turner Thompson said, and the glue has to be removed before new flooring is put in.

Once this phase is finished, the whole grant process will start over again as organizers try to complete the restoration work.

The grant application had to undergo a review hearing in Tallahassee before receiving its highly favorable ranking, Turner Thompson said.

A group of Hernando School supporters attended the hearing on Nov. 8. They included Dan Armstrong, president of the Citrus County Historical Society; Kandice Bellamy McPherson, chairwoman of the Hernando Heritage Council; David Croft, a member of a founding family of Hernando; Turner Thompson; and Inverness City Council member Sophia Diaz-Fonseca.

The grant still faces more hurdles. The Special Category projects, about $14-million, will become a line item in the state budget and will be reviewed by the Legislature and governor. Turner Thompson said that local support by business, government and community leaders is often the deciding factor during grant reviews.

"All the projects are worthy, and it's these extra things such as community support, which, at the end of the day, are very crucial in gaining support for grants," she said.

State Sen. Nancy Argenziano and State Rep. Charles Dean spoke on behalf of the project at the grant review, Turner Thompson said. Further support came from state Sen. Mike Fasano, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"The fact that he's on the appropriations committee is a very good thing for us," Turner Thompson said.

The Historic Hernando School, already partially renovated, houses the Family Resource Center, Early Head Start and the Community Learning Center and is used for book storage by the Friends of the Citrus County Library. The school is at U.S. 41 and Parsons Point Road in Hernando.

The architect of the Hernando School was Henry L. Taylor, who also designed the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church, the Comfort Station, Jungle Prada, the Florida Theater and the Admiral Farragut Academy, all in St. Petersburg, according to Turner Thompson and the Urban Design and Historic Preservation committee of St. Petersburg.

"He designed all those grand and glorious buildings during the Florida land boom of the early 20th century," she said. "Then, when the bust came, he turned to building public buildings, and that's what enamored me to this building."

--Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 or e-mail at sanchez@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 28, 2005, 01:04:15]