A church in the George Hildebrand community is fighting eviction from a former school building that county officials say is not a safe living space.
The Burke County Board of Commissioners will hear an appeal at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday from Marshallese New Beginnings Church to an eviction order from the county’s chief building inspector. The church was ordered to vacate the building at 8123 George Hildebran School Road by May 20 after a condemnation hearing on March 21 with the Burke County Community Development department, according to information from the county.
The building, owned by the church, houses more than a church. The county says the former school and its annex, which is around 40,000 square feet, is being used as individual and shared living spaces. The people living there are from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which has a compact of free association with the United States. The people of the Marshall Islands are not U.S. citizens but have the right to live, work and go to school in the U.S., according to U.S. immigration.
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These are some of the living quarters in the former school building in George Hildebrand.
In his appeal to the order, Pastor Tommy Laibwii says 32 people living in the former school building work at Target, Bimbo Bakery and Tyson Foods and contribute to the economy by paying county property taxes, income and Social Security taxes as well as utilities.
Laibwii said in the appeal that fixing the building takes time, planning, construction materials and hard labor.
Burke County officials say the former school building has lead paint that needs to be removed.
Dispute dates back to 2022
The church purchased the building in May 2022.
On Sept. 13, 2022, an online complaint was made to county code enforcement about the number of people who appeared to be living at the former school. Three days later, the county fire marshal and county’s chief building inspector visited the site and it was posted “unsafe.â€
It was determined the building had unsafe electrical systems, lack of permanent primary heating sources, problems with plumbing access and functional restrooms, limited options for safe cooking, lead paint, septic systems concerns, fire safety concerns and structural challenges, according to the county.
Chief Building Inspector Steve Holden cited issues such as deteriorating walls, overloaded floors, defective construction, decay, unsafe electrical wiring, and inadequate means of getting out of the building. He classified both structures as dangerous to life and a liability, according to information from the county.
A condemnation hearing was held in November 2022 and an order to vacate delivered to the pastor. He appealed the order on Nov. 16, 2022, according to information from the county.
This is the former school at 8123 George Hildebran School Road where the Marshallese New Beginnings Church is located. The county says people from the Marshall Islands are living in the building.
The county says in December 2022, Pastor Laibwii received a building permit to renovate the structure which was issued by the Community Development staff after approval by building officials.
The county says that in an effort to help the church, county staff tried to get a grant for the church through a local nonprofit, but ultimately the nonprofit declined to fund the project, according to the county.
Burke County says the former school building has inadequate toilet and shower facilities for people to be living in it.
In October 2022, Laibwii started a GoFundMe to upgrade the living quarters. According to the page, it raised $3,855 of its $50,000 goal.
After the permit was approved by the county, a year went by and nothing was done to improve the site, according to the county.
On March 10, the county posted the building and its annex as unsafe and a hearing was held on March 21, where the county ordered the eviction.
Burke County officials say the electrical wiring needs upgrading in the Marshallese New Beginnings Church building in the George Hildebrand community.
The county said while the main church building can still be used for religious purposes, the property can’t be used for residential purposes.
