The fate of the historic school built by Sgt. Alvin C. York is in the hands of the Fentress County commission. The state, which runs a school in newer buildings on campus, offered the crumbling structure to the county Monday, along with half-a-million dollars to shore it up.
The building inspector for the city of Jamestown has already condemned the two-story school, completed in 1927. Fentress County executive John Mulinix has proposed moving Roane State Community College into the building. He says he’ll get feedback on that idea from the public and county commissioners in the coming weeks.
“We’re fighting an uphill battle trying to save that building. This is a national historic landmark…and to be quite honest with you, it will take a miracle of God to save that building.”
It would take nearly 4-million dollars to restore the building. The State Building Commission is scheduled to tear the school down this summer if the county doesn’t vote to take it.
Some of York’s descendents have begun a fundraising campaign, and raised roughly 350-thousand dollars for the restoration.
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