FELLSMERE — A year after the City of Fellsmere celebrated the restoration and reopening of the Old Fellsmere School as the new City Hall and place for the Fellsmere Boys and Girls Club, Congressman Bill Posey stopped by to take the grand tour. Some funding provided by Posey helped with the $3 million worth of renovations needed to bring the building back to life.
“I’m still in such disbelief,” Posey said, marveling over the restored wood floors that creaked underfoot as he and city leaders walked the halls.
When the Old Fellsmere School was built, it cost $40,000, Fellsmere Vice Mayor Joel Tyson told Posey – of course, it took $3 million to renovate and restore.
“It’s worth every penny,” Tyson said.
Posey had been in the area for a breakfast event in Palm Bay and took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Old Fellsmere School and drive around town.
“I haven’t cruised the streets of Fellsmere in a while,” Posey said.
Among those on hand to assist in the tour was Fellsmere historian and Old Fellsmere School caretaker Korky Korker, who presented Posey with a copy of his book, “A Photographic History of the City of Fellsmere.”
“That is cool,” Posey said, accepting the autographed copy. “Thank you so much.”
Posey noted that when he served on the Rockledge council, the city commissioned a history of the town. He said it was amazing that citizens, such as Korker and fellow historian Rich Votapka, would take it upon themselves to publish such a book.
“It had to be done,” Korker told Posey, quoting Votapka.
Posey visited the Boys and Girls Club, where Branch Director Keisha Rainey took the Representative from room to room, showing off the partnership that was forged between the club and the city.
“We’re so pleased with it,” Rainey said of having the club located in Fellsmere. It’s the third club in the county and is consistently at capacity with a long waiting list of children wanting to join.
“This old style architecture – with all the windows, you don’t really need the lights,” Posey said, standing in the art room.
Back when the building was a school, before air conditioning, the windows served as natural lighting as well as ventilation. Now, the windows are kept closed for energy efficiency and the blinds are typically shut as well, to prevent the heat of the sun to bake the rooms.
Posey eventually made his way to the auditorium, which was dedicated to Korker and named the Clarence F. Korker Center for the Performing Arts.
“What a wonderful room,” Posey said, stepping inside the auditorium and taking in the handcrafted stage and row upon row of wooden seats, “such a warm place. This is middle America.”
During the tour, Tyson informed Posey that the Men’s Room on the main floor was once the principal’s office, which netted a chuckle from the elected official.
“Some people think that’s appropriate,” Tyson said of the conversion from office to restroom.
