Editor
The Friends of Mount Zion Institute have developed some exciting plans for ways to creatively use the old school building, and they shared their vision with Winnsboro Town Council this past Tuesday night.
And ‘creatively use’ is the right phrase--part of the plan involves world-renowned artist (and Fairfield County native) Dru Blair moving his Blair School of Art to the second floor of Mt. Zion and eventually expanding his art school into a full-blown arts college.
The Friends of Mt. Zion Institute (FOMZI) made a video presentation to council that outlined what the group has been doing regarding the details of the renovation of the building, as well as where the funds to renovate it could be coming from.
FOMZI Steering Committee Chair Vicki Dark-Dodds reminded council that it has been five and a half months since the group came before council to ask for a chance to present plans for the renovation and reuse of the old school building.
Dark-Dodds described why the FOMZI group wants to renovate the building and reported that they have had structural engineers look over the bones and structure of the building.
FOMZI believes that a renovated and revitalized Mt. Zion would bring in additional visitors who were interested in the entire Mt. Zion Institute story. These visitors could mean increased tourism dollars.
A Mt. Zion that housed both the Blair School of Art and Midlands Tech College classes would improve the educational opportunities for Fairfield residents and
others, said Dark-Dodds.
She outlined the ways in which the FOMZI has been growing their group of supporters, including many Mt. Zion alumni from all walks of life, and potential donors towards any renovation project.
Dark-Dodds also reported on FOMZI’s canvassing of the neighborhood around Mt. Zion, and the reception they received when they discussed their plans with nearby residents.
“The surprise was not only was there a lot of immediate ‘yes, I’m for it,’ comments, but that, with a few exceptions, we didn’t encounter strong negative feelings about it. A lot of doubts and a lot of uncertainty, maybe, but not a lot of negativity, and we felt that was a really significant milestone,” she said.
Recently, there has been some concern, since Midlands Tech is partnering with Fairfield County to build a QuickJobs facility to teach trades like construction, at a location on the 321 By-pass, whether they would still want to locate at the Mt. Zion campus.
Dark-Dodds told council “they have assured us that they are still interested in the classroom facilities being at Mt. Zion,” she said.
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