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Print | E-mail to a friend SCHOOLS

Board settles dispute over Martha property

September 03, 2008 @ 12:00 AM

CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN

The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- After years of dispute, the Cabell County Board of Education voted Tuesday night to compromise and settle the eminent domain issue between Cabell County Schools and the Browning Estate.

The board voted to give members of the Browning Estate $290,221 for land in Barboursville that is part of the new home for Martha Elementary School. Cabell County Superintendent Bill Smith said the school board and the Browning family finally were able to reach a settlement.

Following several attempts to come to a settlement earlier this year, the school board took the property by eminent domain and immediately started work on the new school.

A commission of professional property appraisers and Realtors determined the 10.5 acres of property to be worth $26,000 per acre. Assistant Superintendent Mike O'Dell said the total amount awarded to the Browning family, $290,221, included property costs, interest and additional acreage. Overall, O'Dell said he is pleased with the settlement.

"It's a good deal for the board, a good deal for the taxpayers and is a good place for a school," O'Dell said.

Next, O'Dell said, the lawyers will finish up the paperwork needed to award the money to the Browning family.

The board also approved the rejection of demolition package for the Barboursville Middle School. According to O'Dell, the board originally allocated $700,000 for the project that included demolition, asbestos abatement, laying asphalt and electrical work. The lowest bid, from Chapman-Martin Excavating of Huntington, totaled $1,460,000.

"We feel like (the project) is way over the amount we budgeted for," O'Dell said. "The numbers are so large that my recommendation is to re-bid the projects. We can do better if we break down the projects."

The board voted to re-bid the projects separately in hopes of having multiple companies, or one company, work on the project for the budgeted amount. Now, O'Dell said, the board must re-advertise for the projects and wait for the new bids.

ZMM architect Dave Ferguson, whose company is handling all the school's construction projects, said the board would have a much better chance of having the four projects come under the budget by separating the projects. Re-bidding the projects, however, does have some risks involved.

Both O'Dell and Ferguson noted that separating the projects could, potentially, come to a larger amount than the one originally awarded to Chapman-Martin Excavating.

"It's a gamble, but right now it's a gamble worth taking," Ferguson said.

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