Facilities committee declares two older school properties surplus, will seek state approval

The Horry County Board of Education Facilities Committee voted to declare two district properties — the old Kingston Elementary site on Highway 905 and the Conway Education Center off Sherwood Drive — surplus and directed staff to place both items on the full board agenda to begin the state disposal process.

Committee chair Neil James said the action starts the formal process that, if approved by the full board, will require submission to the South Carolina Department of Education for prior written approval and the required availability listing for charter schools. "We would recommend that the facilities committee formalize any surplus decision today and I would recommend you do it as 2 separate approvals or disapprovals, 1 for each of the sites," staff member Joe Burch told the committee.

The committee voted to move the two parcels forward without discussion after staff presentation. The old Kingston property is about 8 acres and was described in staff materials as roughly 26,000 square feet; committee materials and the presenter referenced construction in the early 1950s (transcript contains both 1952 and 1954). The Conway Education Center was described as a little over 16 acres, originally constructed in 1964 with later additions; staff told the committee that roughly half of Conway's acreage is wooded lowland that floods frequently and limits usable acreage.

Staff urged the committee to consider disposal options — sale, lease or donation — noting practical differences: sale removes the property from district inventory, a lease keeps it in inventory but transfers upkeep to the lessee, and any lease could later terminate and return the property to the district. "Sometimes buildings like this become a liability, because of the amount of work it needs," Burch said regarding older facilities.

Burch also told the committee there are letters of interest for the buildings, including interest from at least one charter school, and reminded members that state rules give charter schools a priority notice under the surplus process. He said appraisals would be completed before any sale.

The committee approved declaring each parcel surplus and directed staff to add both items to the full board agenda for formal action and then to proceed, if authorized, with the state notice and disposal steps. No sale price or timetable was established at the committee meeting.

The committee meeting record shows the motion to declare the Kingston property surplus and the separate motion to declare the Conway Education Center surplus; both motions passed by voice vote and were recorded as approved for referral to the full board.

Looking ahead, staff told the committee they will prepare the required documentation for the state submission and return with any additional details — appraisals, recommended disposal method and any charter-school interest — once available.