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November 19, 2009

Murray school system expects to get $1.65 million for rock building

Cost to rebuild still not known

Mark Millican

CHATSWORTH — The Murray County school system is expected to receive approximately $1.6 million in insurance money for the former high school known as the Old Rock Building that was destroyed by fire in September. But the cost of construction if officials decide to rebuild it is still unknown.

“It’s a process, but we have started initial negotiations (to receive the funds),” said administrative services director Dean Donehoo, who added the exact amount is $1,658,158. “It’s a starting point. There’s some possibility (of the final amount) going up or down, but that’s in the ballpark.”

Two public meetings sponsored by the school system in October produced sentiment to rebuild, Donehoo said.

“The feeling was to save the building if at all possible,” he noted. “I believe it’s the oldest consolidated high school in Murray County, and one of the oldest buildings county-wide.”

A lightning strike was determined to have caused the monumental blaze, which left some of the rock walls standing but destroyed a new $100,000 roof. Donehoo said the architectural firm of J.W. Buckley and Associates and construction company Ra-Lin are “looking” at the restoration costs, but had not brought a figure forward.

“We hope to have something by the end of this month or early next month,” Donehoo said.

The Old Rock Building was built in 1934 and was planned to be used as headquarters space for the central office staff. It replaced the high schools at Eton, Chatsworth and the Lucy Hill school in Spring Place, according to a Web page devoted to the site (www.southernmuse.com/history/rockhist.html).

“The building was completed as a project of the 1930s Works Progress Administration of the government ... workers received one dollar a day and stone masons two dollars (a day),” the Web page says. Historians and researchers are listed as Tim Howard, Randall Richards and Kevin McAuliff.

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places (www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com).



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