Trying to Save old Marion High School - 2001& 2003

 Just for history's sake, I thought it would be good to record here a couple of efforts to save the old PWA built Marion High School.  Will anyone in the future regret that this beautiful landmark building in Marion was destroyed?  I doubt it.

The Crittenden Press, October 18, 2001.

Plan would revive old school as new location for city hall.  One of Marion's oldest and prized landmarks may again have a chance at new life if local officials follow through on a plan to save the historic building.

On Monday  night, Marion's city council gave Mayor Mick Alexander the authority to enter into an option agreement with Tommy W right for the city of Marion to purchase the old Marion High School on South College Street.

If feasible, the city could soon call the deteriorating building home, converting the former school into Marion City Hall.

Last year, attempts by local officials to purchase the school and its surrounding property for use as a joint city-county justice center were hampered by real estate acquisition discussions involving the parking lot.   (The Marion United Methodist church has previously purchased the lot behind the school for their parking lot)

The mayor said the city has enough money in reserve to get the building stabilized, repairing the roof and other structural problems that have arisen in nearly 20 years without regular maintenance.  Several exterior problems are obvious - broken windows, crumbling woodwork an unattached gutters, but extensive water damage exists inside on either end of the building covered by a flat roof.

Alexander said any use of the property by the city would maintain the  historical integrity and outward appearance of the structure. 

This most recent effort to save the historic schoolhouse marks the third time in four years the property has been considered for development by local officials.  Prior to lat year's justice center plan, a 1998 study looked at converting the structure to a center for higher education.

The Crittenden Press, April 24, 2003 - Old School Plans too High

No one from the county showed up to hear a presentation for renovating the old Marion High School for use as a city/county building during Monday's night's Marion city council meeting.

It may have been just as well, as the cost for the project came close to $9 million.

The resulting monthly cost of more than $37,000 for 20 years came out to payments of $22,379 for the county and $15,035 for the city.

All efforts failed as board members on both city and county didn't think it was worth spending that much money on it.

Now will be only a memory in our forgotten passages of time.