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Residents urge Macon County to preserve Old Pine Grove School and halt sale
Summary
At a public hearing residents, descendants and voters urged the Macon County Board of Commissioners not to sell the Old Pine Grove School parcel, asked that memorials to Peek's Creek victims be preserved and requested historic-structure protections or county retention for a polling precinct; the board asked the community to explore a 501(c)(3) and historic designation requirements.
At a public hearing on April 9, descendants and longtime voters urged the Macon County Board of Commissioners not to sell the Old Pine Grove School property, a roughly 1.26-acre tract at Peeks Creek Road and the Highlands Road (Parcel 7522092290).
"I do not see the property being used except for a polling precinct," said Harold Alex Hawkins in support of keeping the site. Multiple speakers asked that memorials to those lost in the Peek's Creek disaster be preserved if any sale were to proceed. MaryAnn Ingram, who said she has voted in the Sugarfork precinct since 1996, told the board she believes the precinct contains about 400 registered voters and asked that the county retain the building for elections or place it on a historic register so it cannot be demolished.
Marci Holland, representing four generations of native families from the Gneiss community where the school sits, described the building's 1912 origins and asked the board not to sell. Julie Tastinger recounted going to the school to vote for the first time and offered to serve on a community board to oversee the property's future. Several commenters said they would help maintain the structure rather than see it disposed of as surplus property.
After public comment, the board closed the hearing by unanimous vote. Rather than take immediate action to sell or retain the parcel, the board asked Holland to investigate forming a 501(c)(3) community organization, research requirements for historic-structure designation, and report back to the commission at a future meeting.
Why it matters: The Old Pine Grove School is tied to local voting history and community memory of the Peek's Creek disaster. Preservation supporters said the building serves civic and cultural functions beyond the county’s asset inventory, and they urged the commission to consider non-sale options that would retain community access.
What’s next: The commission did not approve a sale. The board requested a report on the feasibility of a community-run nonprofit and on the process and implications of listing the building on a historic register; that information will return to the commission at a later date.
