RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – A former school building in Powhatan with historic significance to African Americans will be partially torn down despite efforts to save the once-segregated school.

Demolition was set to begin on Monday, July 14th, but Powhatan County Public Schools spokesperson Laura McFarland said it has been put on pause due to “delays in the building permit approval process.”

The Powhatan County School Board has been debating what to do with unused space at the current Pocahontas Landmark Center off Anderson Highway for years.

It is the site of the first consolidated African American school in the county, and it still holds special meaning and historical significance to residents who attended the school during segregation.

But several sections are in bad shape.

Everyone agrees there is one portion with asbestos that is beyond repair.

Powhatan’s Board of Supervisors offered to take on the cost of renovating two other sections that it says are salvageable.

In return, the county wants to use the renovated space for a community center that is scheduled to be built in its 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

It also allows the school administration to continue using the oldest, most historic part for offices.

“If you can use space that’s already available within the county and renovate that space and kind of shape it to fit that need, you can save a tremendous amount of money for the taxpayers, which is what we’re looking to do,” Bill Donati, Powhatan Board of Supervisors Chair, said.

Initially, Ward and District 1 representative Vicki Hurt, were the only two school board members in favor of preserving some of the buildings with county support.

“I am blessed to be able to represent the majority of our African American constituents in my district,” Michele Ward, District 5 Powhatan School Board Representative, said at a May 6th meeting.

At the May 6th meeting, the school board voted 3-2 in favor of lifting a 60-day hold on demolition plans and moving forward, with Hurt and Ward the only two opposed.

In the June 24th meeting, Ward made a motion to delay demolition for 30-45 days to allow more dialogue with the Board of Supervisors and to get public input on alternative uses.

Hurt supported the move, but the other three School Board members voted it down.

In the end, Ward is the only member to vote against the demolition contract. The lower of two bids was accepted by a vote of 4-1.

Ward noted that the black community raised the funds to construct the buildings, and if there was an avenue for preserving them, then that should be pursued.

But most school board members favored demolishing all three sections in need of repairs, rather than handing control over to the county.

“The parts that they want are not the historic part, the cafeteria, all of that was not part of the original historic building, and I feel that we have saved the historic part of the building,” Jeanne Wade, Vice Chair of the Powhatan County School Board, said.

“If somebody came to me and said, Mrs. Wade, I am going to take over your house. You can stay in it, but I’m going to own it. I’ll pay all your bills, but I’m going to own it. That’s not what they want. They don’t want to come in and save the building. They want to come in and take the building.”

The school board plans to spend roughly $830,000 to tear down the buildings.

“We’re not interested in kicking them out of their space. That’s best served for them,” Donati said. “But what we are interested in doing is working together.”

There are no current plans to do anything with the land after those building sections are removed.

Meantime, county leaders say they are still hopeful that school board members will be open to negotiations.

McFarland said there is currently no new demolition date set.

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