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Kingsport BOE urges city not to sell Midland Center

KINGSPORT — The Kingsport Board of Education has a message for city leaders: Don’t consider selling any of the Midland Center property, at least not yet.

And Mayor Dennis Phillips said he wholeheartedly agrees.

But leasing some of the parking space to a local nonprofit agency is fine, BOE members have said.

The Kingsport Regional Planning Commission in September declared a portion of the parking lot of the former Sullivan County Regional Health Department building surplus, and in October it declared a triangular grassy area with a storage trailer as surplus.

Frontier Health is interested in purchasing or long-term use of part of the lot, while a doctor’s office wants to buy the triangular section to convert to parking.

Echoing already expressed concerns of Superintendent Richard Kitzmiller and Director of Student Services Tyler Fleming, the BOE at a recent work session informally agreed for the Central Office staff to pass along that message and work with City Attorney Mike Billingsley on a formal agreement for Frontier Health to continue using part of the Midland parking lot.

BOE Vice President Wally Boyd, a member of the Frontier Health board, said without use or ownership of the parking area the nonprofit Frontier Health eventually would move from its Fort Henry Drive location.

Frontier Health had a “gentleman’s agreement” with Sullivan County when it used the building, but the property reverted back to the city when the building ceased to be used for health purposes and the health department moved to an old Holston Medical Group building near Wilcox Drive.

Boyd has recused himself from any votes on the issue because of his position on the Frontier Health board.

BOE member Randy Montgomery said any property disposals involving Midland should not even be considered until the Central Office issue is settled.

“We have expressed our concerns to the city that we were left out of the process,” BOE President Susan Lodal said.

Because of the timing, Fleming said the matters could not go before the full BOE before its next regular meeting.

“We just have reservations about them chopping up the property with our Central Office plans so uncertain,” Fleming said, adding that he and Kitzmiller were aware of the issues and gave feedback before the surplus declaration — which does not in and of itself mean a sale is imminent. “We don’t want to stand in the way of any city projects.”

Phillips, interviewed this week, said he agrees with the BOE’s concerns and that none of the Midland property should be sold. All city departments must sign off before any property is deemed surplus, and Phillips said the school system is one of a handful of departments that hasn’t done that.

He said the process may be flawed in that a lot of effort went into the declaration of the property as surplus when all the departments hadn’t and probably won’t agree to that anytime in the next year or two.

“We have basically committed for the school system that in the next three years they will have a new Central Office,” Phillips said.

“Based on this, I don’t think the city needs to sell any property that is close to the school system that could be used for that,” Phillips added. “We do not need to be selling any land we may have to buy back to accomplish that.”

Phillips said he regrets the city did not buy the old Winn-Dixie building on Memorial Boulevard for use as a new school system Central Office.

The last time property designated for school purposes was declared surplus and sold was 1999, when officials said the Miller property at one time earmarked for a new school site was sold and eventually became the site for the Skyland Falls residential development.

BOE members and Kitzmiller said there has been discussion that possible sale proceeds from Midland could go toward the new Central Office cost. Phillips would not address that idea but said it’s all taxpayers money and needs to be spent carefully.

The current Central Office, near the kitchen area of Dobyns-Bennett High School, will be converted to D-B classroom space using federal Qualified School Construction Bonds, but the money must be spent in three years or late 2011.

Midland houses Fleming’s student services operation, as well as school health services, the technology department, math coaches and literacy coaches.

Those positions are to be combined with other systemwide and Central Office departments in a new Central Office.

Kitzmiller said the system needs about 25,000 square feet and will consider any existing school or city space, as well as newly constructed or renovated space.

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