Back to two options in Sheffield

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SHEFFIELD — Does the Sheffield Village Board want its old school building or not?

At Monday’s village board meeting, Sheffield Mayor Bill Rosenow said he would send a letter to the Bureau Valley School Board to remind them two options were still on the table.

Rosenow’s comments were in reaction to comments made at the Bureau Valley School Board meeting Jan. 19.

The school building has been vacant for several years, but in August, Superintendent Terry Gutshall contacted Sheffield about making a final determination as to what was to be done with the building.

In December, Rosenow sent a letter to the school board presenting two options. The first would have the school board deed the buildings and properties to the village, along with funds needed to demolish the buildings. The second option would involve the board demolishing the school building, and deeding all the land to the village.

On Jan. 19 at the Bureau Valley School Board meeting, Gutshall began to discuss the two proposals but was interrupted by board member Rick Cernovich. In December, Cernovich, whose wife Mary Ann is on the Sheffield Village Board, said the village preferred the first option, but things had changed.

“They don’t want anything to do with the Proposal 1 any longer,” Rick Cernovich said.

Board members didn’t want to take any action due to the absence of two of its members, but instead tabled action until February. The board also directed Gutshall to contact Ideal Engineering about the asbestos abatement project.

On Thursday, Rosenow said Mary Ann Cernovich had “relayed information that wasn’t true” from the board to her husband. Rosenow said he also passed on a warning to the board members.

“When you’re talking to the press or you’re making comments at another meeting, you can’t make comments that (are) not true,” Rosenow said.

Rosenow said the board members agreed for him to send a letter to the school board verifying the village was still interested in both options.

On Friday, Mary Ann Cernovich confirmed the village board authorized Rosenow to send the December letter proposing the two options, but said the discussion that followed was a little different.

“After we discussed it, we said we don’t want the burden of that, we don’t want all the permitting and the problems that accompany having to demolish a building,” she said. “Sitting there as a board, we discussed the fact that we felt it would be the wrong decision for us to want to take that building and try to administer the demolition of it ourselves. It would be more a burden than we wanted to take on.”

Both Rosenow and Mary Ann Cernovich agreed the final decision belongs to the school board.

“The final decision is the school board’s (decision),” Mary Ann Cernovich said. “We don’t really have a say in that.”

“If there’s any more discussion to be made, it will be after the board sends us a letter saying what they’re going to do,” Rosenow said.

On Friday, Gutshall confirmed he is working with the asbestos company because the asbestos needs to be removed no matter what happens to the building. He said his board will consider both options, although he confirmed the district’s legal counsel has advised the district pursue the second option.

“We’re going to do what the board thinks is the right decision,” Gutshall said. “The legally and fiscally responsible decision.”

Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.

The Sheffield Village Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the former school building.

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