CARROLLTON — The empty former Hathorn Elementary School building in Vaiden has been sold to Central Mississippi Inc. for $136,000.
CMI paid a deposit of $5,000 for the building in May, making the final payment $131,000.
The Carroll County School Board finalized the transaction at a recent special called meeting. The board had agreed to sell the building to CMI in May.
The building has been vacant since the school was closed in 2010. It was closed to save money because the school’s population had decreased over the years and the high school was consolidated with J.Z. George in North Carrollton in 1999.
CMI had stated it needed the building to house its Head Start program, which currently has around 100 children in mobile buildings, from which they have to be evacuated during severe storms. The former Hathorn building will be used for classrooms and office space, and there will be a room for a nurse. There may also be space left to lease to the city of Vaiden for other activities.
The city of Vaiden made numerous pleas to purchase the building for $25,000, but CMI board members urged school board members to consider the county’s younger children’s needs for education and a safe location and sell the building to CMI.
The original vote to sell the building for $136,000 was 4-1, with the board’s president, Ben Shute, in opposition. He wanted to hold out for $150,000, closer to an appraised price.
At its August meeting, the board voted 3-2 to demand a closing date from CMI, with Laura Davis and Rubye Miller voting against, and Jim Strong, Kenneth DeLoach and Shute voting for asking for a closing date.
Superintendent Billy Joe Ferguson said he was happy the building will be used to educate young children.
Vaiden’s elementary students now are bused to Marshall Elementary School in North Carrollton.
