Retired teacher still hoping to resurrect old Bibb Elementary

The effort to save the old Bibb Elementary School and turn it into a high tech education center is still alive, says Mike Edmondson, the retired teacher spearheading the project.

Edmondson said he has set up a non-profit organization, applied for non-profit status and has acquired a tax ID number, so he can start raising the funds needed to rescue the 100-year-old building and create a facility he hopes one day will be in partnership with the Muscogee County School District and Columbus State University.

The facility would be called the Bibb Center for ISTEAM, which stands for innovation, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Edmondson dreams of a school that would allow students of all ages to be exposed to and explore all of those areas.

Edmondson’s organization, The Bibb Center Inc., has made an offer to the school district for the building and property. They are offering $100,000 for the dilapidated building, with the understanding that the initial cost of stopping the current deterioration from two large holes in the roof be subtracted from the amount paid to the district. He estimates it will cost about $63-$64,000 for that.

That step is necessary to preserve the integrity of the outer shell of the building, which is threatened as inner floors collapse. The floors on the east end of the building have collapsed due to a large hole in the roof. Architects and engineers have told Edmondson that if the floors on the west end (which are threatened by a second, smaller hole) collapse, they likely will bring the brick outer shell crashing down with them.

A hazardous material inspection and removal must be performed, along with an archeological survey.

“Being on a bluff over a river with an Indian name, there could be some Indian history on the grounds,” Edmondson said. “That could fit in with the other historical aspects of the project.”

The Bibb Elementary School was built in 1915 for children of the workers at the old Bibb Manufacturing Co. mill nearby, which burned down in 2008. It closed its doors as a school in 2001.

Edmondson said School Superintendent David Lewis is enthusiastic about the project, but the contract offer on the property is currently under consideration by the school board, which must approve the sale.

“I’m hoping that the board will act on the contract this month,” Edmondson said.

Once the building is stabilized, the interior would be gutted completely and replaced with a steel structure to support the new floors and help hold the facade together. The exterior would be restored to its original appearance.

Among the features Edmondson hopes will be included are an observation and meteorological platform on the west end of the roof, looking down on the river. There would also be areas for 3D printing, robotics, a recording studio, an ISTEAM library and laser cutting equipment, among other things.

He sees students from schools sharing the space with college students.

The total cost of the project likely will be more than $5 million, Edmondson said, so he hopes the community as a whole will embrace and support the concept of such a facility.

Edmondson’s passion for the old school is understandable. He taught for about 35 years in the Muscogee County School District at Spencer, Hardaway and Northside high schools, and was once named the system’s Teacher of the Year.

“Next to churches, I think schools are the most sacred spaces there are,” Edmondson said.

This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Retired teacher still hoping to resurrect old Bibb Elementary."