Goal: Preserve Dunbar history

By Katie Wilson
Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT December 21, 2008 02:35 am

— One community group is moving quickly to preserve a piece of history for future generations.
In the last six months, the Dunbar School Foundation Inc. has gone from an abstract idea to a reality.
In February 2007, Dunbar School was emptied when the student population was combined with that of the former Miller Junior High in West Fairmont Middle School. In June, the Marion County Board of Education voted unanimously to move ahead with the sale of the former Miller building, but hold off on the sale of Dunbar.
Dunbar has a special place in the county’s history. It was built in 1928 to educate the county’s black students. The building housed a combined grade school and high school, and successfully educated black students for more than 25 years.
At the time, MCBOE members had expressed the hope that a way could be found to give the school to the Dunbar Homecoming Association. Since the group is not a nonprofit organization, that’s not possible.
Property attorney Pete LeMasters, who attended the meeting to advise the board, said it’s not possible to attach a rider or a codicil to the bill of sale requiring the new owners to allow the association to host events or a museum there.
Dunbar Homecoming Association member Charlotte Meade attended that meeting and said she believed it would be possible to organize group members and alumni into a nonprofit organization to preserve the building.
And that’s exactly what has happened.
Foundation members presented their progress to the Marion County Board of Education at its regular meeting Monday.
Since June, the new Dunbar School Foundation Inc. is well on its way to becoming a nonprofit group. The all-volunteer group’s goals include: Completing the nonprofit status, maintaining the school and preserving heritage, enhancing the culture of the area, providing a meeting space for community groups and developing a repertoire for a Marion County black history museum to be located at the school.
Foundation President Houston Richardson said they are working with several different firms to get things completed at the school to get it insured and ready to occupy.
He said several community groups have offered to help write grants to keep the project moving.
Member the Rev. Ted Buckner said they are also looking into security systems to protect the facility.
Fellow foundation member Greg Hinton said at the group’s first meeting folks were encouraged to think big, dream big, to get an idea of what is needed in the community. The foundation’s goals were born of that meeting. They’re also working on year-round community events for people from age 8 to 80.
Superintendent of Schools James Phares said he intends to recommend the board give the foundation ownership of the building on a year-by-year basis.
“They just need a little more time,” he said. “I think they’re serious, and I want our attorneys to work out an agreement with them.”
Board members also expressed their support for the foundation and its work.
For more information on the Dunbar School Foundation Inc. or to donate, write to Dunbar School Foundation Inc., P.O. Box 1370, Fairmont W.V. 26555-1370.
Richardson said a Web site for the group is also in the works.
E-mail Katie Wilson at kwilson@timeswv.com.