Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

School Fires Are 1996's Top Stories

Two school fires in Nevada County lead the way as top news stories of the year.

April first was no laughing matter for Prescott High School, as a section of its main building burned.

The fire was reported at 10:36 p.m. by a citizen living nearby. However, the district was fortunate in that the blaze was contained in the east side of the facility, damaging the main offices, and two computer labs. The school's band room suffered smoke and soot damage as did the western side of the building.

While Prescott was working to rebuild after its fire, arsonists burned the Emmet School gymnasium in the wee hours of Nov. 19.

Law enforcement officials had little doubt from the outset the Emmet blaze had been arson, while the Prescott blaze had been called accidental by authorities.

Burned clothing was found at the scene of the Emmet fire, and a suspect had turned up at Medical Park Hospital with burns over 25 percent of his lower body shortly after the fire had been reported.

A young couple, Matt and Latisha Ward, was arrested and charged with setting the Emmet fire.

Neither school board wasted any time in getting things to return to some form of normality.

The Prescott School Board met April 2 to assess its situation, while Emmet's board met Dec. 1 with an architect to begin preliminary work on plans for a new gym.

A public meeting was held in Emmet Dec. 12 to discuss these plans, which were tentatively approved by the board.

Prescott's board called the original architects who had designed its building to see what it would take to rebuild the structure.

It was determined the Prescott district would require $640,000 to rebuild its main building, on top of the costs incurred in cleaning up after the fire. The overall cost totalled more than $1 million.

Financing the Emmet gym was still being discussed as 1996 drew to a close.

Bill Arey, the architect hired by Emmet's board, said the gym could be constructed for $45 or $50 per square foot. However, the basic floor plans show the new gym to be 15,209 square feet because of requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Both districts will have problems paying for the construction required.

In the case of the PHS fire, its insurance carrier, USF&G, has not paid claims it approved since last summer, and at the end of 1996, was denying it had approved any claims.

Emmet's carrier, the Arkansas Department of Education, originally informed Emmet Superintendent Dr. Gene Ross the district was covered for replacement cost of the structure. He was later told by the carrier the district would receive 10 percent over the policy amount of $372,000, or $409,000.

The insurance problems mean two different things for the two districts, but the same basic problem at the bottom line is neither has enough funds to do the job on their own.

In Prescott's case, if the district has to foot the bill for construction, it will be broke.

For Emmet, a smaller scale facility may have to be constructed, or the district may be required to seek a millage increase to cover the difference.

Prescott could also seek a millage hike, but this would mean voters would have to approve 10 mill on their property taxes to pay for the construction.

The Prescott district is considering filing a lawsuit against USF&G in Nevada County circuit court.

The other options Prescott has include a revolving loan of $400,000, if the district can figure out a way to pay the loan back. Otherwise, the district would have to take the money from salaries, services, debt service and anywhere else it could beg or borrow it.

The other idea being tossed around is a $600,000 loan from an out-of-county financial institution.

In Emmet's case, Dr. Ross said the district could apply for a revolving loan of $100,000, and possibly as much as $150,000, depending on what its insurance carrier does.

USF&G, should the Prescott district file suit, will most likely try to get the venue of the trial changed because the jury pool may be considered tainted.

In the Emmet case, both suspects have entered pleas of not guilty through their attorney, Chuck Honey.

Honey has asked the court to allow Matt Ward a psychiatric evaluation before the case goes to trial.

Both situations will come to their fruitions in 1997.