Chesterfield Elementary: To demo or not to demo?

The Burke County Board of Education delayed a decision on whether to demolish vacant Chesterfield Elementary School after several members on June 8 questioned spending nearly $250,000 to tear down a property that could be worth more than $1 million.

In December 2025, Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan presented a bid from D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co., Inc., of Hickory, proposing the demolition of the building, suggesting the school became an “attractive nuisance” for illicit activity.

On June 8, Swan brought the $246,000 quote back to the board for consideration. D.H. Griffin would handle the removal of the building, foundation, parking lots, and sidewalks, as well as sowing grass seed in its place.

Chesterfield has sat vacant for approximately eight years on Pax Hill Road in Morganton, after the school board voted in June 2017 to relocate the students to Mountain View Elementary in the school’s inaugural 2018-19 school year.

“Based on which direction the board would like to go, our team will be taking care of the utilities and removing any equipment that is deemed fit to keep,” Swan said.

Swan explained that a local realtor had confirmed the property would be more valuable with nothing on it. He said he also had concerns that if they sold the building as is, another charter or private school could easily utilize the building.

Board member Sonya Rockett said, “If these buildings are in as bad a shape as they are, what’s the likelihood of that? I just don’t think that we’re being good stewards of the school’s money, to spend $250,000 to tear a building down. I say we put it on the market and sell it as it is.”

Rockett noted a tax value of $1 million or more, and several board members expressed concern at not hearing concrete number values for the property with and without the school remaining onsite.

They tasked Swan with bringing a Realtor or developer to the June 22 meeting to highlight the pros and cons of demolishing the vacant elementary school, with price tags attached.

Board Chair Tiana Beachler, who echoed Swan’s concerns of another school entity filling the halls, said, “I just want to get it done quickly. I don’t want us to be sitting here at Christmas still talking about Chesterfield, honestly.”