Fulton city officials tour vacant former school

The old Missouri School of the Deaf Scout Cabin used to be home to the school's scouting programs. Behind it is Rice Hall, once a middle school serving MSD students. Across the street from Veteran's Park, both could become part of Fulton's parks and recreation program.
The old Missouri School of the Deaf Scout Cabin used to be home to the school's scouting programs. Behind it is Rice Hall, once a middle school serving MSD students. Across the street from Veteran's Park, both could become part of Fulton's parks and recreation program.

There are several options when it comes to providing Fulton residents with new recreational options:

Build new, or perhaps make good use of a vacant structure.

A structure under consideration is the now-vacant Rice Hall, previously a middle school for the Missouri School of the Deaf. It's owned by the state and recently was home to Kingdom Christian Academy, which moved last summer to a new location.

Videographer at hand, City Council members and workers recently toured the hallways, peering into classrooms, a gymnasium, locker rooms and front offices. There also is a kitchen and a behemoth of an old heating/air-conditioning system in the basement that would need to be replaced.

"It scares me a little bit," said John Braun, who represents the city's Ward 3. "Is it practical for what we're looking to do? It's broken up so much (in spaces) I don't know if it is."

But all seem to agree there is a crown jewel to this piece of property: a historic stone building, "The Scout Cabin." The old stone structure has fireplaces and raised stone patio area, and could be used for weddings and other community activities.

"It's a beautiful building," Mayor LeRoy Benton said.

The state has not yet decided a plan of action for the campus. There's no timeline established, nor is there a price tag. The campus does lie on the south side of Eighth Street (St. Louis) across from the city's Veterans Park, where city officials had been talking about building a new recreation center and possibly a new public swimming pool.

Clay Caswell also recognized the building needs work - the windows need to be overhauled and the kitchen hasn't been used for some years. But again, there's that stone cabin.

"The Scout Cabin was really unique," he said. "It has a lot of potential."

Rice Hall, according to council person Jeff Stone (Ward 2), was built in 1969. Classrooms are on the small size, but walls between them are not load-bearing and thus can be removed.

"A couple million dollars would bring a lot of improvement to that building," Benton said. "I don't think you'd recognize it."

He remembered showing Fulton Police Chief Steve Myers an old bank building a few years ago. That building was successfully remodeled and became the police department's new quarters.

There's been little discussion about replacing the city's current and failing outside swimming pool. However, city officials have been discussing a new ball field versus the recreation/community center.

"It's a lower cost way we could do both projects economically," Benton added.