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Former schoolhouse soon faces final bell
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - May 23, 2012)
Former schoolhouse soon faces final bell
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Time is running out for a 145-year-old building that's rich in the history of Burton village.
Burton Fire Chief Michael Sestak told Village Council last week that the department is preparing to demolish the building that served as the village's first high school.
He said he's preparing to seek a demolition permit through the village's historic district architectural review board and plans to have the building down before July 4.
The building was condemned by Geauga County officials last October.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the school was built shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War in 1866 on a site that now serves the Burton Public Library. It was moved to the north end of Burton Square when a second high school was built about 100 years ago. That second high school now serves as the library.
For a while, the building served as a lodge for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and then it was converted to an antique shop. The fire department purchased it in 2004 with plans for expanding its station immediately to the east.
Those plans were spoiled as heavy winter snows caused damage to the roof. Repairs were estimated to be between $70,000 and $100,000, which the fire department did not have.
Although fire officials had offered the building for $1 to anyone who wanted to preserve it, there were no takers, Mr. Sestak said.
He said he has checked with the Ohio Historical Society about the demolition and was told there are no restrictions. He said the fire department plans to preserve its memory with a plaque etched with its image.
"It doesn't serve any purpose, and it's a hazard," Mr. Sestak said of the building.
He said the site will be used for parking until the department can raise funds to build an addition to the fire station. He said a two-story building eventually will be built to be compatible with the village's architectural style. "We're not leaving the village," he said.
The existing fire station, built in 1882, was never intended for that use, and trucks are squeezed into narrow spaces. "You can barely walk between the trucks," he said.
A new building will provide space with wider doors for department trucks, he said.
Mr. Sestak said the department must concentrate on its goal to protect life and property and cannot afford to spend money on the deteriorating building. "We are not going to spend taxpayers' money to restore a building that is condemned," he said. "The bulldozer is at the door."
Mr. Sestack acknowledged, "We're going to be bad guys to some people."
He said the fire department is awaiting bids for asbestos removal from the building.
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