Laughlin purchase awaits commissioners

Laughlin school purchase awaits county’s Board of Commissioners

Two decisions by the commission will determine whether Summerfi eld can buy the property and, if so, how a purchase would be funded

by CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – Efforts by the town of Summerfield to buy the historic Laughlin school for a new town hall and center for community groups hinge upon two upcoming decisions by Guilford County’s Board of Commissioners.

The commissioners have yet to officially decide whether they want to buy the Laughlin property for use by the county. However, commission Chairman Skip Alston said in an interview earlier this week that “we’ve basically made the decision, tentatively, that we don’t want it.”

If the commissioners decide they don’t want to own the property, Summerfield Mayor Tim Sessoms said town leaders would resume negotiating a purchase with the Guilford County Board of Education. The board owns the nearly 11.2 acres occupied by three buildings at 7911 Summerfield Road.

In October, the Board of Education accepted the town’s offer to buy the property for $2.2 million, its appraised value. The sale is contingent upon whether the commissioners decide to buy it.

If the county passes on the purchase, Summerfield leaders “may seek better pricing” than the town’s $2.2 million offer, Sessoms said.

“Our interest is to acquire Laughlin as inexpensively as possible because it’s going to require quite a bit of TLC (tender loving care) going forward,” Sessoms said in an interview earlier this week.

A second decision by the county commissioners will determine how Summerfield would pay for the property. Last month, Sessoms and Town Manager Scott Whitaker asked the board to reassign $2.2 million in federal pandemic relief funds to cover its recent offer for the property.

In August, the commissioners gave Summerfield a total of $7.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, with $5.5 million designated for infrastructure to help the town establish a municipal water system. Another $2.3 million is earmarked for development of Bandera Farms Park.

During its Nov. 17 work session, the commission delayed its decision on Summerfield’s request to reallocate $2.2 million initially designated for water projects to acquiring the Laughlin property. Alston cited legal uncertainty over whether ARPA funds could be spent to buy a municipal building.

Alston instructed Sessoms and Whitaker to provide the commissioners a detailed plan about how Summerfield would use the Laughlin property. Aside from its potential use for a new town hall, Sessoms said the property could serve as a meeting place for Scouts and senior citizens, while possibly housing a library. The surrounding acreage could host outdoor events, he said.

ARPA funds could finance the establishment of a park and library, according to County Attorney Andrea Leslie-Fite. She plans to review Summerfield’s plan for the Laughlin property before it goes back to the commissioners for further consideration.

“We need to dot our i’s and cross our t’s a little bit better,” said commissioner Justin Conrad, who, along with commissioner Carly Cooke, has been helping Summerfield leaders in their efforts to buy the Laughlin property.

Repurposing the buildings for Summerfield’s use is “a good project” that would be “great for the citizens of Summerfield,” Conrad said.

Whitaker told the commissioners the property is centrally located in Summerfield, making it convenient to Summerfield’s athletic and community parks and the future extension of the Atlantic and

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Independently owned & published by Yadkin Greenway. He added that town leaders want to preserve the historical significance of the old school.

Laughlin, once an all-Black school, was built in 1934 and initially served students through seventh grade. In 1970 grades 3-5 were paired with Summerfield Elementary School and in 1987 second grade was moved to Summerfield Elementary; Laughlin remained a K-1 school until it closed in 2011. A year and a half later, GCS began using it as a professional development center for teachers.

Laughlin is slated for closing as part of a consolidation of administrative buildings in the school district’s $2 billion plan to build and remodel schools countywide.

In October, the Board of Education declared the Laughlin property as surplus, a step required for its sale. If Summerfield winds up buying it, Sessoms has recommended renaming it Laughlin Municipal Center, honoring Duella M. Laughlin, the

“We have a lot of dreams and aspirations for that building,” Sessoms told the commissioners.

As an alternative to building a new town hall, a plan shelved by the Town Council last May, the mayor said earlier this week the Laughlin property would be immediately ready for the town’s use.

“We can plan out the different projects to upfit the building over time,” he said.

An appraisal of the property in August aligned with the mayor’s assessment.

“A creative or adaptive reuse of the property to convert it into a public or institutional use, such as a combination of municipal offices and community recreation spaces as proposed by Summerfield, would … be feasible,” according to the appraisal by Greensboro-based Taylor & Associates Appraisers Inc. “In short, the buildings still contribute some value to the site.”

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