The city of Yazoo City intends to end its lease with the Mississippi Achievement School District concerning the usage of the former junior high school building, which was the location of the Boys and Girls Club and the Yazoo Community Complex.
The Boys and Girls Club closed its operations out of the aging building earlier due to the building’s unsafe condition. And the Yazoo Community Complex fell under the umbrella of the city of Yazoo City for rental purposes, particularly the auditorium, for civic engagements, funerals and other community programs.
The matter was brought for discussion during a Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting with Mayor David Starling sharing a letter from the city school district, which owns the former junior high school building.
Dr. Earl Watkins, superintendent with the MASD, sent a letter to Starling on Nov. 15, 2023 to notify the city that “the school district has declared the old junior high school building, located at 516 East Canal Street, no longer necessary or desirable for school or related purposes.”
Starling said he was told that it would cost about $30 million to renovate the aging building.
“They are having a lot of problems over there,” Starling said. “We are paying some expensive utility bills over there. The purpose of this today was to decide. I really think at this point, it’s something we should disengage ourselves from. I think we should not pay the lease anymore. Let them know the city does not want anything else to do with it.”
Watkins’ letter said the district intends to use the building “to foster development and improvement of the community in which it is located and the civic, social, educational, cultural, moral, economic or industrial welfare thereof.”
“Our goal is to convey the building, in accordance with state law, to a charitable, governmental or non-profit entity with a solid plan and resources needed to repurpose the facility to benefit the community,” Watkins writes. “Lastly, the district has been approached by a non-profit organization interested in acquiring the property.”
During the city council’s discussion of the matter “the non-profit organization interested in acquiring the property” was identified as Gateway Community Development Corporation.
Lilli Evans-Bass said since MASD owns the building, they can declare it as surplus.
“They have the right to sell it or anything else,” she said. “They have complete control.”
Starling said he wishes the city had more input in the matter. But with no local board or control within the city school district, that input might be difficult to convey to the state board of education.
“I make the motion that we no longer want the MASD building anymore,” Starling said. “Let’s get the utilities cut off. And the person who had the keys to it, retrieve those keys, and that person would also come off our payroll.”
The city council approved the motion with no opposition.
The contract employee within the Yazoo Community Complex was Johnny Staples, who was contracted to facilitate the complex rental agreements with a salary of $1,000 a month.
