Elwood School Building Move Hits Minor Snag

Plans to save a former school building in the northwest part of Van Zandt County will have to go through a little more paperwork than first expected.

The Van Zandt Historical Commission wants to move the former Elwood School building, located between Wills Point and Edgewood, to a new home in Ben Wheeler as part of an arts and historical district there.

The historical commission put the request on Tuesday’s Van Zandt County Commissioners’ Court agenda to get county approval for the move. However, Van Zandt County Judge Rhita Koches said her research on the property turned up something unexpected.

As Koches explained, the deed to the property was handed over from the former Elwood Common School District to the trustees of the now-inactive Elwood Community Center.

"There does not seem to be a reversion clause," she said. "What may need to happen is for that group (the community center board) to be reactivated and let them do what they want with the property as a non-profit group."

Brooks Gremmels with the Van Zandt Historical Commission said time would be of the essence in the commission’s effort to save the deteriorating building.

"We might consider going ahead and moving the building while we pursue this little bit of paper work," he said, explaining that roof and window glazing was already deteriorating.

"Once that is gone, the building’s gone. Remarkably, a lot of this school building is still in good shape," he said.

Gremmels later added, "The real cost of it is not with moving the building, but the rehabilitation of the building. Every day we wait, I know that will get more expensive."

Gremmels said he has confirmed that one member of the former Elwood Community Center board of trustees is still living. It would likely require two other people in the community to join her to reactivate the board and perform the necessary deed transfer to the historical commission, Koches later said.

"I think everybody wants to see this happen and it should be a fairly simple procedure," she said.

Gremmels added, "I will take full responsibility for the outcome of this."

Also in Tuesday’s meeting, the commissioners approved the setting of a public hearing on Feb. 23 for a petition to create Wills Point Emergency Services District No. 3.

Van Zandt County Clerk Charlotte Bledsoe said the petition effort yielded 160 verified voter signatures and that the Van Zandt County Appraisal District was in the process of confirming at least 100 of those as being property owners in the proposed district.

Bledsoe noted that the city of Wills Point had indicated it would opt out of inclusion in the election for an ESD and would instead contract for services with the ESD, if it is created.

In other matters, the commissioners’ court took the following action:

— Approved speed limits of 30 miles per hour on Van Zandt County Road 4114 and VZ 4803, and 35 miles per hour on VZ 4923, 4912 and 3710. A public hearing on the matter drew no comments.

— Approved the Fiscal Year 2009 Chapter 59 Asset Forfeiture Reports for Van Zandt County Precinct 1 Constable and Criminal District Attorney.

— Approved a 2009 Equitable Sharing Agreement and certification from the offices of the sheriff and county judge.

— Approved lease agreements with IKON Office Solutions for all-in-one copy machines for the offices of the county judge, county auditor and county treasurer.

— Approved a bond for deputy treasurer Glonda Mooney.

— Approved the Van Zandt County Road and Bridge Expenditure 2009 Fiscal Year End report to be submitted to the State Comptroller of Public Accounts office.

— Approved participation in the Government Facilities Program for $15,000 in incentives from Oncor in connection with the State Energy Conservation Office.