The Fredericksburg City Council unanimously voted last week to sell Maury School to Richmond-based Echelon Resources Inc. for $300,000, plus a $50,000 contribution to the Fredericksburg Area Veterans' Memorial.
Their vote brings an end to more than 25 years of city officials going back and forth over various plans for what to do with the building.
Echelon will spend $7.5 million to convert the old school into 32 loft-style apartments. The former gymnasium will be reserved for public space. The city will use the proceeds from selling the building to renovate that space, probably as office space for the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center.
The city will rent that space back from Echelon for $250,000 over a five-year period, and will then have the option to buy it for a nominal fee when Echelon converts its apartments into condominiums, which is expected after five years. At that point, the city estimates the space will be worth between $700,000 and $800,000.
Water claims more livesAt least five people have now drowned in the Fredericksburg area over the past six weeks. Two men and a woman died in Lake Anna and the Potomac River this past weekend.
The two men who drowned at Lake Anna State Park on Saturday had come from Manassas to fish, officials say.
On Sunday, a 20-year-old Cheverly, Md., woman drowned in the Potomac River near the Harry Nice Bridge after falling off a raft.
Suit alleges illegal meetingsSome Stafford parents claim that three School Board members violated the state Freedom of Information Act by holding secret meetings and not providing all of their e-mails for public view.
The Support Our Schools political action committee made those claims in a lawsuit filed Monday in Stafford General District Court. Patricia Joshi, a lawyer and member of that group, will represent the PAC.
Her document points to e-mails between School Board members Robert Belman, Nanette Kidby and Doreen Phillips, and Supervisors Paul Milde and Mark Dudenhefer.
The group found messages that suggest all five officials met twice in February to discuss the county budget, according to court documents. And some officials provided e-mails that the others did not.
Virginia Freedom of Information laws say that officials of the same body cannot discuss public business in groups of three or more without announcing it as a public meeting. Laws also require public officials to keep all of their e-mail pertaining to county business and produce the documents when asked.
Charge against Hill droppedSpotsylvania Schools Superintendent Jerry Hill, who was indicted in February on charges of election law violations and obstruction of justice, had the election violation charge against him dropped this week.
Circuit Court Judge George Mason also ordered the prosecution to file a bill of particulars for the second charge against Hill--obstruction of justice.
The bill, which King George County Commonwealth's Attorney Matt Britton must file by July 15, must outline the ways in which Hill allegedly obstructed justice.
Britton is handling the case for Spotsylvania County Commonwealth's Attorney William Neely. Neely recused himself because his wife is a Spotsylvania County public schools employee.
Controversy over bonds againSpotsylvania County's Board of Supervisors and School Board are at odds over a potential bond referendum.
The bond's affordability was brought into question at a Tuesday night meeting.
Supervisors tabled the School Board's request for a $64.3 million November bond referendum to finance technology purchases, a maintenance facility and school construction projects. The supervisors will revisit the proposal at their June 27 work session, considering a cut of $19 million suggested by Lee Hill District Supervisor Vince Onorato.