For auction: One historic building
9:35 p.m. Tuesday, October 7, 2008
After years of stand-still, the city council finally decided what to do with historic Sumner Elementary School tonight.
In a few months, the city plans to auction off the building to the highest bidder.
It's the latest plan after a series of attempted private sales fell through, but the auction could already be threatened.
Sandra Lassiter from Community First said she is seeking legal advice to try and stop the sale.
Sumner School Timeline
- Historic building could be a school again (December 21, 2006)
- Sumner School Tour (December 29, 2006)
- School board to vote on charter (January 4, 2007)
- Sumner elementary has served many purposes (January 4, 2007)
- Red light to charter schools (January 4, 2007)
- Neighbors: Renovations to historic school beneficial for community (January 5, 2007)
- Sumner School up for sale or lease (March 12, 2007)
- Sumner gets another shot at becoming a charter school (March 19, 2007)
- City wants to consider alternatives to demolition of Sumner School (June 20, 2007)
- Sumner School plans vary, but all agree to avoid demolition (June 21, 2007)
- City Council considers selling historic Sumner School (July 21, 2007)
- Sumner School's future is with the Pioneer Group (July 24, 2007)
- Community First signs contract to buy Sumner School (October, 29, 2007)
- Charter school proponents meet to rally support (Dec. 27, 2007)
- Community First won't get to buy Sumner deadline (May 30, 2008)
- Community First pleads case to council (June 4, 2008)
- Council directs staff to extend contract (June 10, 2008)
- Deadline passes for Sumner School purchase (Sept. 5, 2008)
The reason behind her protest is because for the first time in the discussions about Sumner School, the deputy city attorney dismissed himself.
He said there was a potential for a conflict of interest.
Deputy City Attorney Braxton Copley is the son-in-law of Ross Freeman, the president of Pioneer Group, Inc.
Pioneer Group tried to buy Sumner from the city before Community First.
Part of the reason Lassiter said she wants to stop the sale is because Copley wrote the contract for Community First to buy Sumner.
Community first didn't meet the terms of that contract, but Lassiter says it seemed like the process for her group to buy the building wasn't fair.
"It just seems that we were totally prepared to do everything we needed to do," Lassiter said. "This is supposed to be a hand-in-glove community, that we should be working together. So that is a little strange."
Councilman Brett Blackburn agreed with Lassiter, that the process for Community First to buy the building seemed unusually hard.
"You know, maybe that's just the way it worked out by coincidence," Blackburn said, "but I certainly think there's been a number of hurdles that they've had to jump and it seems like, you know, they get really close and here comes another hurdle."
Tonight, Copley told reporters he dismissed himself because a city council member asked him to so that there wouldn't even appear to be a conflict of interest.
Other City Council Actions
* Tonight the city council also voted to spend 1 million dollars to make repairs at the water treatment plant.
* Yesterday, we also told you about a proposal to stop showing city council meetings on television. The move would have saved the city about $12,000 dollars per year, but tonight the supporting member pulled it from the agenda.
"There wasn't support and the outcry was just too great," said councilman Jeff Preisner. "(The) Point was in essence to draw attention to the issues we truly have. It's not about being televised. It was about money."
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