Myakka City School House may finally be fully restored

As they did when they were schoolgirls, Marilyn Coker and Bonnie Carlton are staring at a clock these days ... waiting, waiting ... for the final bell.

In this case, though, the two friends and members of the Myakka City Historical Society, are waiting for something different, the state budget to be passed.

They are hoping that occurs sometime before May 5, the final day of the state legislature's regular session.

If it does pass, they will find out if the state will approve a 2018 Special Category Grant of $246,319 to go toward final restoration of the 1914 Myakka City School House. If a special session has to be held to pass a budget, then they will wait some more.

It's been 24 years since the Myakka City Historical Society was formed to preserve the schoolhouse, which was replaced by the Myakka City Elementary School in 1993.  Coker and Carlton have both been part of the effort from the beginning.

"I appreciate roots," said Carlton, whose father is the late G.T. Bray, who has a park named for him in Bradenton. "The schoolhouse is such a part of everyone's life here."

She is married to Dan Carlton, a lifelong resident of Myakka City who attended the school, and whose father and mother attended as well.

The story is the same for many of those living in Myakka City.

"The bottom line is that the schoolhouse is part of their history," said Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh. "It means so much to so many who went to school there, and their parents who went to school there, and their grandparents who went to school there. It is something we need to keep so people who move to Manatee County realize what it was like."

Baugh was involved in the restoration project before she started her first term as commissioner five years ago and became more involved once elected. The county became more involved with the project as well in 2016, allowing Cathy Slusser, the director of historical resource for the county, to write the state grant.

Also joining the effort last year was Elliott Falcione, the director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

It all gave hope to Coker, 80, who attended the old schoolhouse when she moved from Hardee County to Myakka City in third grade, 72 years ago.

On April 12, Coker stood in her former classroom, a cement mixer occupying the spot where the teacher's desk was located. "Of course, the blackboard went all the way across the wall," she said, pointing to the front of the room.

As Coker walked through the schoolhouse's interior, which will be totally be renovated by the grant money, her love for the 5,500-square-foot building was obvious.

But it's not just the past that concerns Coker.

"The potential is great for a small community," she said. "There is no public place to meet other than the churches."

The special Bureau of Historic Preservation grant is No. 34 out of 50 special state projects in line to be funded if the budget passes. Baugh said the project has a very good chance of going through.

She went to Tallahassee in March and returned with a good feeling about the project. "We asked for help from our legislators and we were told it is a done deal," she said.

If the governor signs off on the project, Coker said it will be a very emotional time for her.

"I am going to disintegrate into a puddle," she said.

While the building hasn't been completely refurbished in the past 24 years, the exterior has had two new roofs since being moved from its original lot and has been painted several times. 

If the grant is approved, the building's interior will be finished for the Myakka City Historical Society through a partnership with the Manatee County Historic Preservation Board, the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and Manatee County. The Myakka City Historical Society has raised $133,000 to fill a matching-grant requirement. The county and the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau have pledged $50,000 to the project and Dakin Dairy has pledged $15,000.

The building will continue to be owned and operated by the Myakka City Historical Society and will continue to be located on a 17-acre parcel that is owned by Manatee County and also includes the Myakka City Community Center. The application for state funding was in the name of Manatee County, which will oversee the proposed work and will administer the grant.

Plans for the building include hosting a branch library, town meetings, reunions, weddings and continuing education classes. Museum exhibits that tell the story of Myakka City's heritage will be displayed. A genealogical library is planned to tell the history of families in Myakka City. The stage and auditorium can be used for community productions.

The grant also will provide funding for gutters and downspouts. The funding will complete the interior framing, HVAC, electrical and plumbing that was done under previous grants and also will provide safety features such as fire alarms. 

Slusser has been a big part of the effort in producing grants that previously took care of the building's exterior.

She said the county's involvement was key to applying for the current grant. "The state of Florida was wondering if the Myakka Historical Society had the ability to mange a large grant," Slusser said. "So the county agreed to do the application and manage the grant. That caught the attention of the state."

The grant was submitted in May 2016 and went to hearings last fall. "Based on my experience, I would say it has a good shot," Slusser said. "You never know."

She said the project is extremely important.

"No. 1, it is a place that gives the community of Myakka City an identity," Slusser said. "Right now the community is so spread out and isolated. It gives them a place. They can refer to their cultural identify, because historical preservation does that.

"This was on my professional bucket list. I've worked with them a long time, on grants for 10 to 12 years."

Coker, president of the Myakka City Historical Society since 1999 and the city's retired postmaster, has worked even harder.

"I've been on it since the beginning," she said. "Raising money, getting people to do the work. In 1996 it moved to its current site, In 1993 it moved from its site on Manatee Avenue to the county maintenance yard. 

"It's been all working people and our resources were not great," Coker said. "We've gone outside Myakka City for grants. We have had people here give $500, $300, $200 but we had to keep insurance and we had to maintain the building. Our work has been progressive in small increments. We have had two new roofs since we moved it."

If the state funds come through, Coker said the building could be open by September of 2018.

Elliott Falcione, the executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the renovation of the Myakka City School House carries value for the county in terms of tourism.

"It's going to help us develop East County," Falcione said. "We need to cluster tourism assets out east."

Falcione said having the schoolhouse provides one more stop for those who want to plan a day checking out historical spots.

"It's not about the schoolhouse by itself," Falcione said "We have to create a trail, for a half day or a full day outing. I know I have learned things I never knew about Myakka City. You also have the Hermanns' Royal Lipizzan Stallions, Bearadise and Dakin Dairy Farms." 

Falcione said tourists in Manatee County stay an average of 7.2 nights while the state average is 4.1. "It says a couple of things," Falcione said. "One, the character of Bradenton is an old Florida setting. It's about how we get away from the everyday hustle and bustle. It also tells us people are looking for other things to do." 

"People don't realize how diverse Manatee County is," Baugh said. "Not everyone lives on the beach. We need to make sure we give a full picture of the county's history."