Union Springs Academy’s Administration Building Open and Largely Renovated Following Fire

The inside of Union Springs Academy’s administration building, which was significantly damaged by a blaze in December, looked like two separate facilities mashed together Thursday afternoon.

While most sections of the building had vibrant coats of paint and other features, some parts were still reminders of the fire, with walls marked by yellow stains, some steps missing paint and some areas off-limit for students.

The building is still a work in-progress, Principal Jere Clayburn said last week. While the majority of the renovations have been completed, not every area is completely polished and done. Nevertheless, the Seventh-day Adventist boarding school opened for the fall on Aug. 28. 

Clayburn said in February his understanding was that an official cause for the fire hadn’t been confirmed, while Union Springs Fire Chief Garret Waldron said at the time that investigators believed the incident was caused by a candle in the same area as a Nativity display. The administration building included offices, classrooms and a gymnasium.

Though the fire was contained to one room, heat and smoke spread to the entire building, so all of the ceilings were replaced, every wall had to be repainted and carpeting was removed and replaced.

While the majority of the school was fixed over the last five to six months, work on the computer lab, the main bathrooms and the music department’s area still has to be done. All of the work is projected to be finished some time around Thanksgiving and Christmas, said Loretta Clayburn, the school’s registrar and administrative assistant and Jere Clayburn’s wife.

Jere Clayburn said he isn’t sure what the final costs will be, noting improvements have been covered incrementally as portions of a private insurance settlement have come through.

Improvements and additions have been made during renovations as well, like a new student area for socializing, with the first verse of the academy’s school song in the middle of the space.

Retiring teacher John Baker, who has been a presence at the school for over 15 years, is thrilled by the new, more “modern” updates he feels will engage students. He said he is fond of the painted shards of various colors popping off the back wall of the room he was teaching in on Thursday afternoon, saying he prefers the school’s newfound use of more color.

“Everything was kind of the same beige all around the whole building,” Baker said. 

Baker said delays in the restoration were largely due to difficulties settling how much repairs would cost with insurance adjustors

In the months following the fire, staff and students had to make due with classes in the walk-in basement of the Union Springs Seventh-day Adventist Church, which neighbors the main building.

It took Baker about two months to get used to teaching in the basement, as there wasn’t as much space and light as the new surroundings offer.

Junior student Dan Livergood also said he likes the more modern feel of the school, especially compared with the church basement, as he said he had more trouble receiving education in the basement seriously. The 16-year-old said he got used to it.

Clayburn said faculty and students have been holding up well from the start. He has been especially impressed with students’ understanding as certain things continue to be worked on, like getting all of the computer work done.

“They know we’re in the midst of getting it and they know that we’ll get it eventually,” Clayburn said.

Loretta Clayburn said between the post-fire improvements and the dormitory renovations done with the help of mission group Maranatha Volunteers International in July, she’s glad students were greeted by a refreshed academy.

Senior Melanie Llanto is also happy with the changes.

“I’m excited, because I mean, it’s my last year and I didn’t want to go to school in the basement of the church,” Llanto said.

Courtesy of auburnpub.com