Baker High School
Demolition and "Saving Baker?"
June 22, 2010 Ledger-Enquirer Article
As school board gives superintendent OK to sign contract to demolish Baker High, a Hollywood production company expresses interest in saving it
Baker High School could be one step closer to the wrecking ball.
The Muscogee County School Board voted to authorize Superintendent Susan Andrews to award a $400,0000 demolition contract to Reaves Wrecking, if the school district enters into a land swap agreement with the Columbus Housing Authority.
Demolishing the building and cleaning up the site off Benning Drive was part of a proposed agreement with authority approved by the board in January.
Baker High alumni WebsiteIf the contract with the Columbus Housing Authority is finalized, the demolition will move forward and cost about $417,000, to be paid for out of earnings from the 2009 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
Meanwhile, another party has expressed an interest in saving the high school.
Daniel Diaz, a Columbus native and retired writer and producer for Papillon Productions in Hollywood, Calif., said the company wished to purchase the property for $600,000 for use as television and film studio.
Representatives from the company have also written to Congressman Sanford Bishop requesting about $34,300,000 in federal stimulus money to help restore and renovate the building. If the company was able to purchase the building and get the stimulus money, Diaz said, they would be able to create about 3,000 jobs. They would use Baker’s auditorium for film production, he said.
The company produces movies of the week, children’s programming and reality television shows, including “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “The Great Air Race”, in which pilots race across the country.
School district attorney Greg Ellington said Diaz has not accepted the terms of the contract with the district yet.
The aging high school caught fire May 19, damaging the south wing. The day after the fire, a crane demolished part of the second-story walls and floors to stabilize the building.
The building closed as a high school in 1991 and has not housed students since 1999, when it closed as a middle school. More recently, the school district tried to sell the building to Place Properties Inc. for $1.3 million, but financing fell through.
John Crimmel, the president of the school’s alumni association, came before the board Monday before the vote to thank Chief Operations and Facilities Officer Myles Caggins and James Tanksley, former director of plant services, for letting alumni come through the building recently to collect items from the school. Some of the items will be auctioned off to benefit the Baker High alumni association’s scholarship fund; others could be displayed in a Baker High museum, he said.
Proposals and upgrades
During the meeting, the board also voted on a proposal for a two-story addition to the Columbus High School gymnasium.
The 10,000-square-foot addition will consist primarily of a large weight room on the first floor and a multi-purpose room on the second floor.
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booz wrote on 06/22/2010 10:41:49 AM:
Steve Chase, after reading your post, I'm more confused than before.
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nannymaw wrote on 06/22/2010 09:46:05 AM:
I think it would be a great idea for the production company to be able to buy the school. It would be a great boom for Columbus & the economy. More jobs and a chance to save a historcial place. To many of our historical places have been demolished for progress. Let's save this one! Columbus would be killing two birds with one stone, more jobs and saving a piece of history ---- All in the name of Progress! Pray people for this deal to come through.
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seagra wrote on 06/22/2010 08:49:15 AM:
I hope that the production company gets the funding and can purchase the high school. It would be great for the city of Columbus to have a Hollywood production company joining the ranks of businesses in Muscoge County. Many small towns and cities in Georgia are benefitting from the low cost of filming in the state of Georgia. I think that it would breathe new life into the county/city school population that a fine arts education might be beneficial. A deal could be reached so that when the property is restored, the school district could continue using the auditorium for performances. It would be a win/win situation for all.
Nancy Seagraves Nicholson, Ga -
Jazz_55 wrote on 06/22/2010 08:22:24 AM:
I was at that Board meeting last night and the story is not totally accurate. I'm the pilot that flew out here with Diaz regarding the school. The story doesn't state that Diaz has a contract for the building. Diaz came to the meeting w/ the $100,000. earnest money he raceived locally at the last minute. Diaz didn't send a letter to Congressman Sanford Bishop, he met personally w/ the the Congressman along w/ Owen Ditchfield who had spent the entire day together trying to come up with partial funds. After Ditchfield took a photo of Diaz and the Congressman standing under a beautiful portrait of the Capitol in Washington. Diaz had to fly back to California to meet w/ someone else to keep the Production Facility out there, Diaz is speaking w/ an Attorney today regarding his contract. Steve Chase, Pilot/Producer
I thought the school system was going through budget cuts? How can they afford an addition to Columbus High School when the teachers are forced to take furlough days? I think we need the teachers more than a weight room. As big as the gyms and locker rooms are they should be able to find a place to put the weights without adding on. What about Carver and Kendrick, didn't they get split up or were going to get split up for the upcoming school year? What is going to happen to those schools with the budget cuts?
As for Baker High School, I hope the production company buys it. It would be great to have a production company here. There have been plenty of movies filmed in Columbus and Ft. Benning over the past few decades and it would be very beneficial to us and to Hollywood for there to be a base of operations here.
I also wonder if there is a way the Columbus Historical Society can put an Historical Claim on the school to save it from being demolished. A few good people have come out of Baker High(Kim Zimmer, of Guiding Light, for one) and it is ashamed that the school system is contimplating tearing it down. It is part of Columbus' history. What will happen to Jordan High, will it be the next old school to go? They didn't tear down St Elmo or Wyntonn Rd Schools they are still standing and are still being used.
The ledger needs proof readers as well, what is $400,0000? Is it suppose to be $4 million($4,000.000) or $4 hundred thousand $400,000)?