Dear Citizens of Reidville, SC,

 

In 2019 Spartanburg District 5 Schools opened the new Reidville Elementary School located at 520 South Main Street Reidville, SC. This new elementary school replaced the beloved old elementary school building at the corner of College and Main Streets, which was built in the 1940s and had served generations of our town’s children.  

 

A difficult decision was made by the Town Council to have the old school building demolished, and understandably raised raw emotions. However, this was a necessary move. Not only had Reidville’s burgeoning population outgrown the building but will cost the Town of Reidville several thousands of dollars annually in utility fees.

 

The Town Council hoped to incorporate the remaining portion of the old school building into the proposed Reidville Town Center.

 

The COVID-19 epidemic put this old school building and new town hall renovation project on hold. As restrictions eased, the Council decided to move ahead. The sections of the old school which we had expected to use for the Town Hall – the library, cafeteria and some classrooms – were built in 1996 and do not meet current building codes. Completing these renovations to make the building ADA compliant would be very expensive. In addition, we discovered other issues which would need to be addressed: extensive black mold and well as needing a new roof, heating and air conditioning system and windows and doors. 

 

Furthermore, the building has been broken into numerous times, causing thousands of dollars in damage. (Those who have

been identified breaking into the old school are facing pending criminal charges.) Based on estimates from several construction companies, saving any part of the old school would have cost Reidville taxpayers more than one million dollars. Our detailed study of costs led us to the difficult decision to level the remaining structure. Demolishing what is left of the old school building will cost Reidville taxpayers nothing, as Triad Construction will pick up the tab. 

  

The Town Council is working with Triad Construction and intends to work with an architectural firm, to create plans for a new Town Hall building. Our hope is that we can blend our past with our vision of new downtown. According to Triad Construction, the vertical structures of our new Downtown Center are scheduled to begin in 2023.

  

Your Town Council is committed to ensuring that the new Reidville Town Center will keep alive the memory of the old Reidville Elementary School while helping our town move into the next part of her history.  

  

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for the future plans for our town, please contact any member of the Town Council. In addition, you are always invited to attend an upcoming Council meeting which are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month beginning at 6:30pm.  Please visit our website at www.townofreidvillesc.com for updates!

 

 

  

Thank You,

 

Reidville Town Council