PRESS RELEASE – Oakland Elementary School was a fixture in Cartecay for decades.

Many Gilmer County residents can recall vivid memories of their days as students or staff and the small family atmosphere that defined the school culture.

Unfortunately, the school was closed in 2011 due to budgetary restraints.

Since that time, the building has stood empty serving as little more than a community landmark on Highway 52.

Aside from its occasional use as a training site for the Sheriff’s Office, the building has been maintained as a storage facility for the school district.

The past few years have been particularly difficult for the building.

Despite the best efforts of the school district, vandals and squatters have found their way inside on several occasions and done considerable damage.

Over the years, several individuals and groups have expressed interest in converting the building to offices or even museum space but none of the plans ever materialized.

Gilmer County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Brian Ridley stated “Everyone knows that its small for a school but it’s still a relatively large building to maintain. A lot of people have had great ideas but not to the scale of the space.”

The board has received proposals for the use of the building in the past, and even a few verbal offers, but previous boards were never willing to let go of a property that meant so much to the community.

Two local men, Jason Smith and Keith Sumner, are about to change all of that.

The Gilmer County Board of Education recently voted to accept a purchase offer for the Oakland Elementary School property.

As members of the local community (Smith is a former Oakland student), Smith and Sumner not only saw the value of the site as a commercial property, they also had a strong desire to preserve a piece of Gilmer history in the process.

They plan to rehab the building for use as a climate-controlled storage facility, their project will include improving the appearance of the exterior building and converting the entrance into an area dedicated to the preservation of the location’s past.

Smith and Sumner plan to display and feature artifacts and photos that pay homage to the history of the Oakland School and the local community.

“I loved this school” stated Smith “and as a former student and lifelong member of this community, it is important to me that we honor and preserve our past.”

Sumner is a local builder who has completed similar projects with other former school buildings.

The members of the Gilmer County School System is currently in an aggressive stage of renovation and construction involving multiple facilities.

The Board of Education voted unanimously to accept Smith and Sumner’s offer so the funds could be used to benefit current students with facility upgrades.

All parties expect the due diligence and rezoning process to be completed and the sale finalized within the next 60-90 days.