Washington Irving alumni urge reuse of closed school; YMCA site, storm-drain and water-tank issues raised

Anthony Oliveto, speaking as a representative of the Washington Irving alumni, urged the council and the Board of Education to find constructive uses for closed school buildings rather than allowing them to remain vacant or be converted into multiple rental units. "The school is actually in better shape than it's ever been," Oliveto said, and he recommended repurposing the facility as a Boys & Girls Club to host after-school programs, drug-prevention awareness and recreational activities for children.

Oliveto also raised infrastructure concerns at the Harrison County YMCA site on Lowndes Hill, describing an ongoing storm-drain problem and explaining that the waterboard relocation of tanks reduced local system capacity. He said an engineering error that placed a new tank at too high an elevation had reduced fillable capacity; "this 2 main gallon water tank is only filling up 750,000 gallons, less than a million gallons," he said, and said the loss of earlier tanks leaves the system at greater risk during droughts and floods.

Council members and staff acknowledged the community interest in reuse options for closed school properties and said the city and Board of Education should coordinate on appraisal and auction timelines. Council members asked staff to follow up on the BOE appraisal process and to report back to council. The public comment and detailed operational or engineering claims recorded in the meeting were put on the record for staff follow-up; no formal council action on repurposing the Washington Irving school or the YMCA property was taken at this meeting.