PICKENS COUNTY — A group of concerned citizens brought their efforts to save historic portions of Easley High School’s campus from demolition before the school board Monday night.

The district’s building program calls for the demolition of the 1939 building and Scott Auditorium.

A crowd of about 65 attended the school board’s meeting Monday, and 10 signed up to address the board on the issue.

Easley Mayor Larry Bagwell said the losing the high school “would be a big blow to the City of Easley” and losing the buildings would be a further blow.

“All we are asking is that you take every possible means of saving this building,” Bagwell said. “It may take a dollar or two more, but you don’t realize the value and the goodwill that you all can do to this community.”

Easley is growing, Bagwell said. He thanked the board for its decision to separate Gettys into two middle schools.

“Look at all options before you make this final decision,” Bagwell said. “Do not just jump into this. Don’t keep us from growing. The City of Easley is behind keeping that building.”

Michael Bedenbaugh, Executive Director for the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, called the decision to tear down the existing buildings and build new ones on the campus, and the justification that doing so will be cheaper, as “nothing short of ludicrous.”

“The 1939 Easley High School building does not have to be torn down,” Bedenbaugh said.

His organization has told other school boards that “it is less expensive to maintain and reuse existing buildings then to demolish and rebuild new ones,” he said.

“You do have a choice,” Bedenbaugh said.

The 1939 EHS building is “magnificent, strong and sturdy, and cannot only support the needs of current student demands but be available for the inevitable growth that will come to this community in the future.”

Pickens County Historical Society Senior Vice-President Wayne Kelley said the society supports district leadership’s efforts to provide “the best educational facilities that money can buy

“We decry your intent to destroy a building that could mean so much to our future,” Kelley said.

The 1939 building “can be used and reused for generations to come,” Kelley said.

“This is an opportunity to save an architectural and community landmark for the city of Easley and Pickens County. In the interests of economic development, tourism, heritage and sense of place, (PCHS members) respectfully ask you to revisit your decision to destroy one of the few remaining architectural icons of our county.”

Board Chairman Alex Saitta then had Superintendent Dr. Henry Hunt and Bob Folkman, who heads up the district’s building program, speak.

Hunt said the district considered many options

Hunt said the district’s building program money has been committed.

“The money is limited,” Hunt said.

To go back and change the plan would delay the project, he said.

“To change now would push it out another year,” Hunt said. “That would push Gettys out another year.”

Renovating the 1939 building would cost an estimated $1.1 million. Renovating the auditorium would be another $664,000, he said.

“Currently, we don’t have that money,” Hunt said. “We don’t have the time there either.”

Folkman said that after site visits and input from personnel, he concluded to meet the building program’s intent — to provide “a safe, healthy and code-compliant environment for our staff, faculty students, and public,” the 1939 building and attached structures would have to be replaced.

Redesigning the project again, after downsizing Easley High School before, could cost the district an additional $150,000 - $200,000 in design fees, Folkman said.

Folkman said the board had four options.

Option one is to continue with the current plan, Folkman said.

“Cost of $13,555,000, completion date of July 2013, which would allow Gettys to be remodeled and completed in July of 2014,” Folkman said.

Option two would save the 1939 building, less the gym and bandroom, and also save the Scott Auditorium from demolition.

“That cost would be $15, 376, 208, an increase to the building program budget of $1,820,000,” Folkman said. “It would extend the completion date of the Easley High School conversion one year and the Gettys conversion one year, out to July 2015.”

Option three saves the buildings at Easley High School, but eliminates Gettys Middle School addition and renovation.

“If we combine both budgets, for Gettys and Easley, we would have $26,401,177,” Folkman said. “There’s no change to the building program. We can complete the project on time for a July opening in 2014. There would be no work done at Gettys Middle School.”

Option four would see the district sell the 1939 building complex, the 1979 building, and Brice Stadium. Under that plan, the district would build a new building to replace the 1979 building, and a new administration would be built.”

“That would result in an overall cost to that campus of $15,959,139, or a net add to the building program of $2,403,000,” Folkman said.

That option would extend the completion of the Easley campus to July 2014 and the completion of Gettys Middle to July 2015, Folkman said.

Saitta said the board would take no action on the issue of saving the buildings from demolition.