High School Rotunda Removal Put on Hold

Sallisaw officials are holding off on tearing down the remains of the old high school. The fate of the remaining building will now be discussed at a special meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. June 22 at the Sallisaw Civic Center.

Sallisaw City Manager Clayton E. Lucas III said Friday the city commissioners and his office have received emails and comments from the public, which, by 75 percent to 25 percent, want to see the remains of the old building saved. All that remains, after an arson fire 11 years ago, are the rotunda, the sidewalk, a bench and a flag pole. 

City commissioners, at their meeting Monday, noted that the building had been vandalized again, and the windows broken out. The city commissioners voted unanimously to tear the building down.

Lucas noted that donors who hoped to preserve the old high school, before the fire, had paid to have engraved bricks placed in the sidewalk. After the vote to tear the building down, donors have begun to remove their bricks. (See above photo.) Lucas said he hoped donors would hold off picking up the bricks until the commissioners make a final decision on the structure.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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