On Sept. 22, Mayor Ashton Hayward sent a letter to Escambia County Superintendent of Schools Malcolm Thomas challenging him and the School Board to be better stewards of the closed schools and administrative buildings that litter the City of Pensacola.
“..abandoned surplus school properties have significant impacts within their respective neighborhoods,” wrote the Mayor. “Not only do they contribute to the devaluation of surrounding properties, over time these properties can fall below acceptable community maintenance standards and become safe havens for criminal elements.”
Hayward urged the school district to adopt a new re-use policy:
1) Maximum two-year period in which such facilities are marketed for sale,
2) If there is no sale, then transfer ownership to another government entity or non-profit, or
3) If no such entity has a use for the facility, then demolish it and create a green space in the interim.
The Mayor warned, in a very subtle way, that closed school buildings may be hit with code violations if they aren’t properly maintained to community standards.
Read Abandoned schools