�����Ƶ

And according to Deputy Superintendent Justin Boggs, several more requests have come in.

�����Ƶ�I think it�����Ƶ�s very important that we really consider the communities around these pieces of property and try to make sure that whatever decision that we come to is going to be something that benefits the community and doesn�����Ƶ�t become a problem property,�����Ƶ� board member Josh Pauley said.

The Cabell County Board of Education had a short discussion on all its vacated and soon-to-be vacated properties during its regular meeting Tuesday.

The properties are the former Davis Creek and Highlawn elementary schools, as well as the current Meadows and Milton elementaries and the Cabell County Career Technology Center, which are expected to be replaced soon as parts of the district�����Ƶ�s bond projects.

Property appraisals were completed for each of the facilities and were presented to the board during a meeting on Nov. 19. The Herald-Dispatch requested copies of the appraisals from Boggs.

The board may also decide, instead of auctioning off the properties, to have one or more of them demolished. The board�����Ƶ�s general counsel, Sherrone Hornbuckle-Myers, told the board in July it may also lease the buildings or donate the properties to either a state or political subdivision, the United States or a private organization for charitable or community use.

According to the provided appraisals, the current estimated market value of the properties with their buildings and demolition costs are as follows:

• Davis Creek Elementary School: value �����Ƶ� $485,000, demolition
• cost �����Ƶ� $240,000
• Highlawn Elementary School: value �����Ƶ� $280,000, demolition cost �����Ƶ� $250,000
• Meadows Elementary School: value �����Ƶ� $1,150,000, demolition cost �����Ƶ� $260,000
• Milton Elementary School: value �����Ƶ� $840,000, demolition cost �����Ƶ� $240,000
• Career Technology Center: value �����Ƶ� $2,135,000, demolition cost �����Ƶ� not available

Without the building, the Meadows property is estimated to be worth $250,000 less, or about $900,000.

According to Boggs, historically, the highest bids the board receives when auctioning off properties have been less than 50% of the appraised values.

Boggs previously told the board he had several discussions with community groups, churches and other entities, including the City of Huntington, which were interested in the properties, and at least one interested party spoke during the Nov. 19 meeting.

Paul Boekell and Carolyn Camini spoke during delegations on behalf of Mercy Village Church in Barboursville, which they said they hoped would be considered for the Davis Creek property.

�����Ƶ�We believe, with a space like Davis Creek, that our commitment to the community would have space to grow all the more from what we�����Ƶ�re doing currently. We have a lot of ideas,�����Ƶ� Camini said.

For example, she said the church would like to use the property as a site for its summer food service program or to host buddy league basketball practices. It had also thought about using the property as a food bank distribution site, to host various community events, lease out some of the space to small nonprofit businesses or entrepreneurs or eventually host a pre-Kindergarten facility.

Milton Mayor-elect Shane Evans told the board he would be interested in acquiring the Milton Elementary property for the city to turn into a recreation and/or community center.

�����Ƶ�I know if you put it to the highest bidder, Milton could never afford it, but it would be worth more to us, and I think it would help us all if we could do something for the kids because there�����Ƶ�s nothing at all to do for the kids right now,�����Ƶ� Evans said.

He said he also wouldn�����Ƶ�t be opposed to sharing it with the Milton Little League and keeping the football field and a concession stand operational.

Autism Services Center CEO Jimmie Beirne said his organization would like to be considered for the Meadows property. Beirne noted the nonprofit is one of the larger employers of the county and has more than 20 locations.

He said ASC needs a building that could accommodate up to 150 children a day with adequate parking space, a playground area and easy access to Interstate 64.

He said ASC would like to establish an autism clinic within the Meadows building to incorporate comprehensive services for children with autism and provide physical, occupational and speech therapy and applied behavior analysis, as well as teaching them skills.

Beirne said the current waitlist at ASC is more than 300 children, and a family who calls today could have to wait about two years to enroll.

�����Ƶ�On average, we add about five to 10 children on our wait list each week. We get frequent calls from parents of children that are newly diagnosed, devastated with this diagnosis. We can offer some support and assistance over the phone, directing them to resources. But as you can imagine, parents are very distressed,�����Ƶ� Beirne said. �����Ƶ�We could serve many more children if we had sufficient building space. And I wanted you to know it�����Ƶ�s very important to us to be good community partners.�����Ƶ�

Hardesty said after Tuesday�����Ƶ�s meeting that the board may take more time to consider all of its options for the properties and it is unclear when it could make a decision.

In other business, the board passed the entire consent and personnel agendas.

The board will meet again at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, for a special meeting to interview candidates for the vacancy left by former member Reed Byers, who resigned in November. The next regular meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 17.