Public meeting set for future of Macon's Alexander IV Elementary School

If you have an opinion on the future use of the old Alexander IV Elementary School, Historic Macon wants to hear from you.

The nonprofit group has scheduled a public meeting for 6 p.m. April 11 on how best to use the school building. It will be held at the school, located at 3769 Ridge Ave., according to a news release.

Alexander IV was added to Macon's inaugural endangered list, known as Macon's Fading Five, in August 2015. Since then, Historic Macon's preservation committee and staff have worked with community members and the Bibb County school board to determine an appropriate preservation solution for the landmark in the Ingleside Historic District.

Last month, the school board approved the sale of Alexander IV to the Macon-Bibb County Land Bank Authority using blight-designated funding. The Land Bank Authority works with Historic Macon to acquire properties using blight bond funds and holds the properties until Historic Macon can begin rehabilitation or find a developer.

After the public meeting, a committee will take comments into consideration while drafting a request for proposal to develop Alexander IV.

The committee will review the proposals and select the winning proposal based on a scoring system including proposed use, evidence of funds, proven track record for similar projects and sensitivity to the historic building and residential surroundings.

The property will then be sold with strict covenants -- binding agreements -- to ensure the building is preserved and the project is completed on an agreed upon timeline.

Historic Macon received a grant from the Elam Alexander Trust to use for recruiting developers.

The school originally opened in 1932. It was built, as were three other Alexander schools, from funds left in trust by Elam Alexander, a pioneer Macon architect.

Alexander died in 1863. He designed the old Lanier Hotel, the first courthouse and Wesleyan Conservatory.

The school closed in the late 1970s as part of Bibb County desegregation plans.

This story was originally published April 4, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Public meeting set for future of Macon's Alexander IV Elementary School ."