By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–After lengthy discussion, the Henry County Schools board of education unanimously voted Monday to proceed with a temporary stabilization plan for the historic Grove Tower. And in a second, related action, voted unanimously to move forward with a ‘cross-functioning team’ involving the county school board and county commission to devise a long-term plan for the structure.
The meeting was opened with prayer for the 10-year-old girl who perished in a house fire Monday morning.
As we reported in April, the school district’s central office staff was ordered to vacate Grove Tower due to structural issues. The staff has been operating at the Henry County High School since then.
Grove Tower was built in 1906. The Romanesque, Classical Revival structure is on the National Register of Historic Places and originally was the home of Grove High School. Grove High closed in 1969 and was replaced with Henry County High School when schools in the county were consolidated.
Director of Schools Dr. Leah Watkins said the structural engineers looking at the structure have now presented the board with an option—a temporary stabilization plan to shore up the structural issues in the building. Cost would be $176,000.
Watkins pointed out that the Tower building ‘has not been abandoned. It is being maintained so that it doesn’t deteriorate. We continue to watch the building and make sure it is stable.” County Schools’ Maintenance Supervisor Jamie Kemp checks on the building inside and out on a weekly basis, she said.
In answer to questions from board members, TLM Architect Jerry Hartsfield said fixing the issues evident in the 117-year-old building “will take a lot of work” and will be an expensive proposition. Problems on the roof are evident to anyone who drives by the building, including shingles missing and gutters drooping. “The roof is at the end of its life”, he said.
Permanent fixes would involve rebuilding the top of the building. Other problems involve the sagging flooring and warped areas that are “pulling floor joists out of the wall.”
Hartsfield said TLM’s proposal for a permanent solution “is close to being finalized”, but that “we can keep patching it as well as we can, but we’re in a holding pattern” right now.
The wind event here in March caused damage to the building, to which Dr. Watkins agreed, noting, “Three windows blew out into offices with people in them”.
County Commissioner David Webb (who is also a teacher at HCHS and the County Historian) said, “Next to the courthouse, Grove Tower is the most significant building historically in the county. The same architect designed both buildings. It’s the birthplace of vocational agriculture in the nation.”
Preserving the structure is important and Webb said other county commissioners have agreed they will do ‘whatever it takes’ to preserve the building. “So don’t be afraid to ask the county for help.”
Board Vice Chairperson Jill Coker said, “We need to stabilize the building. We’re responsible for it” and Board Member Russ Orr said now is the time to look to the future and what use there will be for the building. “If we are not going to be staying in that building, we shouldn’t be the ones to decide the future. We need to be good stewards of the building, but we need to look at the future and who is going to be owning the building” and how it will be used in the future.
Webb pointed out the county already has a courthouse committee which has been studying the county’s other historic structures (courthouse and courthouse annex). It was suggested that a joint meeting of county commissioners and school district officials meet to discuss the future of the Grove Tower building.
In other business:
–After discussion with TLM officials, the board agreed informally to go forward with the plans for the Wellness Building/Concessions project.
–Dr. Watkins introduced the new teachers to the board and a reception was held for them. Dr. Watkins said the opening of school has been a smooth one this year.
–Board members re-elected Tom Beasley as Chairman and Jill Coker as Vice Chair.
–Maria Cox and Dr. Renea Wade presented reports on Achievement Data from the 2023 Spring Assessment. The data is available on the district’s report card, they said, and showed real progress in several areas.
Cox said, “We’re not doing flips…we’ve had big growth, but we’re shooting for 100 percent. At the same time, we haven’t been over 50 percent in a long time. Our teachers have worked super hard and we’re super excited, but we’re not done yet.”
Dr. Watkins noted that the district’s growth in math is one of the best in the area.
Photo: TLM Architect Jerry Hartsfield, middle, reports to the board on Grove Tower’s structural issues, while County Schools Maintenance Director Jamie Kemp and Lashlee-Rich Construction official Greer Lashlee listen. Shannon McFarlin photo.