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Student-led campaign asks board to 'Save and Reopen Mary Potter'; board declares Mary Potter and Wilton surplus and begins county first-offer process
Summary
A student petitioner urged the board to hold a public hearing and explore restoration and historic-preservation funding for the Mary Potter Center; the board later voted to declare Mary Potter and Wilton Elementary surplus and to offer the properties first to the county under statutory process.
During public comment, Lucas Snider, a Granville Academy student and Mary Potter alumnus, urged the board to schedule a public hearing and pursue historic-preservation grants and partnerships to restore the Mary Potter Center for Education rather than abandoning the site.
'I experienced firsthand the sudden disruption and displacement our student body faced when the building was closed due to severe environmental and air quality issues,' Snider said, urging the board to 'restore Mary Potter' and to create a transparent restoration timeline that would allow the community to examine environmental data and preservation funding options.
Later in the meeting the administration presented resolutions declaring both the Mary Potter Center for Education and Wilton Elementary School surplus because district staff concluded the buildings no longer serve a public-school purpose and the district lacks funds to restore them for instructional use. Counsel explained the statutory process: boards must first offer surplus properties to county commissioners; if the county declines, the board must follow an upset-bid sale process and secure fair-market value.
Board members noted the community interest expressed during public comment and acknowledged the building’s cultural importance but concluded that, given current facility condition and funding constraints, the district must follow the statutory surplus process. The board approved separate resolutions declaring the Mary Potter and Wilton buildings surplus and directed staff to notify the county manager as the first step in the required disposition sequence.
Administration also presented a separate parcel sale (adjacent parking/farmers‑market parcel) that had completed an upset-bid process; the board approved the sale contract to a buyer identified in meeting materials.
