Downtown Development Authority asks Pickens school board to consider partnership on former high school property

Representatives of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) asked the Pickens County Board of Education on Oct. 3 to consider working with the DDA on reuse plans for the district-owned former high-school property, which the district has listed for sale.

Marty Callahan of the DDA told the board the site is roughly 20 acres and lies at a downtown gateway that will be affected by a planned highway project; he said the DDA would like to be part of early conversations about what the parcel could become and how development would connect with downtown Jasper. Callahan listed possible future uses discussed by community members—mixed use, housing, shops, events space—and said the DDA has capabilities (including certain financing and loan tools) that may be useful in shaping redevelopment.

Board members clarified the DDA was not asking the board to halt a sale or to cede decision authority. Callahan said he was seeking a partnership and a seat at the table during negotiations and planning, not a veto. The board thanked Callahan for the invitation to collaborate; no vote or formal commitment was made at the meeting.

The district’s real-estate agent, DT Spade of Atlanta, has asked the district for a facility-condition report, environmental report, survey, floor plans and other documents as part of marketing. The board was told the agent planned to post a “for sale” sign and had distributed electronic notices to potential buyers.

The presentation was part of the board’s goal-area discussion on communication and engagement; the board did not take action on the sale or on any partnership request at the Oct. 3 session.