CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board voted on Tuesday night to demolish an empty school that neighbors said has turned into an eyesore.
SLIDESHOW: Madison Park Eyesore Could Be Demolished
The old Pinewood Elementary School, located on Seneca Place in southwest Charlotte, was built in 2004 and served as a "swing space," housing students displaced by renovations at other schools in the district. In recent years, though, the building has sat empty and its condition has deteriorated.
"We also have some graffiti on it, including some MS-13 markings on the building," Martin Doss, the president of the Madison Park Homeowners Association, said.
Doss has been leading the fight to have the building demolished.
"We have homes that border the property all the way around the school, so this is in people's front yards [and] back yards, and they have to see this every day and put up with it," he said.
Doss said he and other area residents have wanted the building gone for some time.
"This will be the third time we've been told it's going to come down," he said. "Actually, this spring they said it was going to come down as soon as school was out, and that didn't happen."
Guy Chamberlain, the associate superintendent for auxiliary services at CMS, said the district didn't have enough money in its budget to tear down the school. In recent weeks, though, he said officials found a surplus from last year's operational costs and will use that to pay for the demolition, which will cost $380,000.
Demolition could start this week, and much of the work could be complete by the beginning of the school year.
Doss said Madison Park residents hope to keep the playground and a rose garden in place and turn the space into a community park.