Melrose debates future of school buildings

Editor's note: Reporter Landry Sena is a Melrose native and the daughter of former Melrose Superintendent Jamie Widner.

Melrose is home to one of the oldest school buildings in New Mexico that's still in operation. But demolition may be drawing near.

Superintendent Brian Stacy held a community forum Tuesday evening to discuss the status of the buildings on the school campus and possible monies available from the Public Schools Capital Outlay Council.

Area residents expressed interest – and hesitation – as they weighed history against modern convenience.

Melrose Municipal Schools consists of five buildings: the elementary, the high school, a commons area, the vocational/agriculture building, and the old gym. The oldest of the five is the high school building, which was built in 1924.

In addition to the five main buildings, Melrose schools also have a cafeteria, a separate building, and physical education complex, or "new gym," as residents call it.

In 2016, Stacy said an audit was completed on the conditions of the five buildings, along with a second audit in 2021. The audits established scores for the buildings, that include evaluations for roof condition, sewer and water lines, sprinkler and intercom systems, security, windows, fire detection, walls, bathrooms, lighting, and more.

In the audit, a facility condition index (FCI) score of more than 60% would mean that replacement is recommended due to the age and life expectancy of the building.

In Stacy's presentation, he said each Melrose school property had a score over 60%; the highest being the elementary and high school buildings with a score of 89.67%. The elementary school was built in 1942.

Stacy said that in 2021, he used a financial award from the CARES Act to replace air conditioning units that were up to 25 years old. However, that did not have an impact on the scoring that was completed in the audits.

According to Stacy's presentation, the state gives its buildings a score ranging from 1 to 650 for the purpose of financial help/need. Stacy said Melrose's school campus is scored at 62.

"The lower the number, the higher you are on the needs assessment list," Stacy said.

Superintendent: State has money now

The state has the money to assist the top 150 buildings in either "system" repairs or "standards" replacement, meaning Melrose school buildings could likely receive funding.

• System repairs: The state would provide the money to fix systems within the school that are in more immediate need. However, not every system would get fixed. Stacy said the state told him to pick five systems, but to be ready for only two or three to get fixed. Stacy said Melrose has about 25 systems that need to be repaired.

• Standards replacement: The state would provide somewhere between $32 million and $39 million to demolish the current school buildings and construct a new one. The money would also cover the construction of a new parking lot.

"The opportunity is here today," Stacy said. "The state has the money now. Will they have it in two years? Five years? I don't know."

Area residents who attended the forum expressed concerns with losing the historical value of the original buildings, what the new school might look like, whether the "new gym" would stay put, and the size of the new school.

A new school, according to the state, would be expected to last 35 to 40 years.

Jamie Widner, superintendent of Melrose Schools for nine years, said he would have never pursued anything like this while he was in that position.

"Historically speaking, I am not in favor of this at all. I know I'm just a guy on the sidelines now," Widner said. "I fought for every penny we could get to repair whatever we could."

Stacy said it could take close to $20 million to make all the repairs needed at the schools. With that, some residents expressed confusion as to why the state would provide $39 million to build a new school, but not $20 million for repairs.

Some seek option for partial rebuild

"From a monetary value sense, we should be able to do something other than just tear it all down and build another one," said Alan Daugherty, the high school science teacher.

Daugherty then said he would like to see just how everything is evaluated by the state and what the state bases its results on.

"(Repairs) still wouldn't get us back to 100%," said Larry DeVaney, a member of the school board. "Our structure is still 100 years old."

Stacy said he doesn't know a legislator that would spend half the amount of money it would take to fix all 25 systems for a structure that is almost 100 years old.

"At some point in time, this building is going to have to be replaced. I don't care what any of us say. Buildings need to be replaced," Stacy said.

Charlotte Montgomery, a resident who attended an earlier forum the same day and was also at the forum Tuesday night, said she is still undecided on which way to lean. She doesn't believe she has had all her questions answered in order to be in favor or against the idea.

One of her concerns has to do with losing the "new gym" and what it would be replaced with if it is demolished.

"I would hate to see them lose EPAC (area basketball tournament) and all that other stuff because hey, we didn't plan and put in a big enough gym," Montgomery told the News after the forum.

Stacy said he would try to look into keeping the new gym if it were decided to demolish the original school buildings. The new gym was built in 1981.

Stacy said a large-scale repair plan would disrupt learning. "These are not 90-day projects," he said, meaning that he couldn't have them completed in the summer when school is out.

"I think the historical monument of the buildings here is what makes Melrose, Melrose," Widner said.

Steve Raban, a member of the Melrose Rotary Club, asked Stacy during the forum if there would be any option to preserve part of the school in some way, should it be demolished.

Stacy responded, saying that really anything could be preserved, however the money just isn't there to maintain it.

"We need to start fresh," said resident Carol Moore. "It's time for a new step in our kid's lives."

Stacy said Mountainair and Lordsburg have had new schools built recently. Residents said they would like to see what those schools look like now.

Stacy said he will hold more forums to keep everyone updated on plans.

If it is decided to demolish today's school and build a new one, the process could take about three years.