Sherry Kusner met with several members of Calhoun Historical Society to discuss plans she has for renovations to the former high school in Grantsville. From left to right are Bob Bonar, Sherry Kusner, Maricia Mlynek and Terry Harris.

The new owners of the former high school facilities  in Grantsville were here to make repairs and renovations to the building.

George and Sherry Kusner bought the school in March, 2008, established a 10-year renovation plan, and hired a local architectural student to draw up thee plans.

“The building has good bones, but it has been abandoned for so long that the elements have taken a toll on it,” said Sherry Kusner. “It’s going to take a lot of time and patience to make it shine again.”

The Kusners plan to turn the building into their residence and also establish a bed and breakfast. They are looking for local craftsmen and construction personnel to hire.

One of the biggest remodeling projects on their plan is the demolition of the gymnasium and annex buildings.

“The original school is structurally sound, but the outlying buildings are literally falling in on themselves,” said Kusner.

She also said that they want to make the renovations as environmentally friendly as possible, but still keep the structure true to its original look.

While in the county, the Kusners met with a construction company that specializes in the preservation of historical structures and reviewed the plans for a new roof.

They also met with members of Calhoun Historical Society and discussed the county’s views and hopes for the building.

Their renovation plans continue to meet obstacles. Even though the property is posted with no trespassing signs, vandals continue to deface the building.

“It breaks my heart to see that someone has come in and broken out the beautiful windows in the doors to the old library,” said Sherry.

The Kusners collected the larger shards of broken glass from the doors and hope to use them in a stained glass piece to be displayed when renovations are complete.

They collect and bag other artifacts. Recently, they found an old school picture that fell down along the base boards outside the library.

“This building has a lot of history and it’s important to us that we try to preserve that history,” said Kusner. Calhoun County is beautiful and has a lot to offer. We are excited about our plans for the old school and can’t wait to call Grantsville our home.”