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BLACKSBURG - What makes a school board cling to a weathered school building from 1951, when the chance to sell it for big money seems just around the bend?

A building that cost $134,200 to operate last year. That sits on prime residential real estate. And that has some supervisors dreaming of revenue that could be recouped from its sale now that developers are knocking on the town's and county's doors. The Montgomery County School Board does not seem to have a love affair with the old Blacksburg Middle School, but members have sought an educational or civic use for the building that closed to Montgomery County students in 2002.

In fall 2001, county residents gave ideas for the future of the building at public forums held by the school division. People had grand visions of a creative learning center, arts magnet school and home for nonprofit organizations.

The problem was money. Blacksburg town leaders found only 11 groups willing to commit to 14,000 of 107,683 square feet. Town manager Gary Huff estimated that the town would lose $91,000 a year with just those tenants.

In March 2003, Supervisor Gary Creed said he wanted the school board, which has title to the property, to sell the old school and the soon-to-be-empty Christiansburg Middle School. Some supervisors, who control funds for the school board's budget, were willing to give the schools a little more time but may have begun losing patience. Proceeds from any sale would go back to the school system to pay down debt on construction, renovation and maintenance projects.

With the potential for big development, a question is if the building is worth salvaging.

"The perception by some of the people is that the building's been kind of a dormant facility," school board member Wendell Jones said Thursday. "It's not. ... It's a facility or a resource there that, even in its current condition, it still finds a lot of use in the community."

Currently, St. John Neumann Academy and the Performing Arts Institute of Virginia are the two main tenants.

Thursday morning, kindergartners who attend St. John Neumann Academy, an independent Catholic school that opened in September 2003, marched outside for recess. Upstairs, older students worked at a computer pod in the building's former library. The brightly lit room showed off walls decorated by student artwork and dividers separating grade-level nooks. Teacher Jenny Michoe said the school uses every bit of available space: "We've made it work."

The school of 47 children and five teachers has a month-to-month lease, and director Julia Wharton said a board of governors is looking for a permanent home for the academy. For now, "we're glad to be here."

In a first-floor hallway, pamphlets for the Performing Arts Institute of Virginia were stacked on a table. The nonprofit organization gives weekly music, voice and dance lessons to more than 150 students at the building.

Shadowy corridors not being used are separated by locked gates. A few rooms hold old computer parts and furniture.

Custodian Evelyn Echols splits her time between the old school and old Christiansburg Middle School. She pays special attention to bathrooms and hallways. "You scrub 'em and buff 'em," Echols said.

Blacksburg and Christiansburg police officers greet Echols at school entrances at the start of her 5 a.m. shift. Officers make sure doors are locked in the evenings.

"We're able to run these two buildings on a custodial shoestring because we have the help of the community," said Dan Berenato, director of facilities and planning.

Vandalism has not been a problem at the buildings. Having people in the facilities may deter problems, Berenato said.

Last school year, 15 groups were paying to use the building and athletic fields - ranging from the Living Buddhism Club of Virginia Tech to NRV Cheer Sensations; 21 groups used the facility and fields for free, including a soccer association and model airplane club. Revenue yielded between $25,000 and $30,000.

"For me, for our school system, we certainly utilize it," Berenato said of the site. "Other people utilize it. It's swing space for a lot of projects I want to do. However, it's also under-utilized by the school system. The groups that use it, don't fully utilize it, and we don't fully cover the costs to operate it."

A stadium and three athletic fields may cause the biggest headache for school officials who decide to relinquish the property. Blacksburg High School and Blacksburg Middle School Bruins sports teams heavily use those green spaces, as well as community recreational groups and athletic associations.

"Everything is open," Berenato said about future plans, adding that school officials are "still working with the county as to where this stadium could be relocated."