MILTON — A vacant commercial building located off U.S. Highway 90 near Kmart might become a new administrative building for the Santa Rosa County School District.
School board members recently voted in favor for scheduling a public meeting on July 21 to discuss possibly purchasing the former Food World location.
The current Berryhill Administrative Complex’s deterioration has led to the school district seeking another option, Superintendent of Schools Tim Wyrosdick said.
“It was not in our plan to buy a building, but as we began to examine the deterioration of the building, which is 92 years old, it became evident very quickly,” he said.
The current administration building, which previously housed Berryhill Elementary School, has endured wood rot over the years. Wyrosdick said accumulating moisture beneath the building’s flooring has led to the rotting.
Employees working at the office are safe, and engineers are regularly keeping close watch on the structure, Wyrosdick said, adding the former Food World became a viable option for several reasons.
“We wanted a building that was readily accessible to the public,” he said. “We didn’t want to leave Milton, because it is centrally located. Most importantly, we wanted to use the tax payers’ dollars wisely.”
Renovating the existing building, Wyrosdick said, would not be cost-efficient.
“The cost of renovating it is literally the cost of building a new school,” he said.
The considered location has already undergone inspections, Wyrosdick said. He added the building would need roof work and upgrading the air conditioning system.
A committee consisting of community members suggested moving out of the Berryhill complex, which serves 61 school district employees including instructional services and exceptional student education, according to Wyrosdick
Should the new location be acquired, Wyrosdick said the new administrative complex would house the school district’s human resource, instructional services and exceptional student services.
As for the future of Berryhill Administrative Complex, Wyrosdick said it is too soon to be determined at this time.
But, he said, there has been some interest in acquiring the property.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: School district considering re-locating administrative services