DECATUR - A consolidated high school could be in Decatur's future.

At the Decatur school board's meeting on Tuesday, the board heard a presentation from Greg Crowe, assistant city manager, and Randy West of BLDD Architects on the feasibility of a single city high school.

The city and Macon County recently updated the comprehensive plan for the entire area and as part of the update, considered how a single city high school could benefit not only Decatur, but the whole county. A major consideration, Crowe said, was the number of vacant properties in the downtown area.

"It was evident we need to look at and address the central core area," he said.

The population in Decatur is declining, particularly in the neighborhoods adjacent to downtown, and a new high school could revitalize Decatur as a whole and downtown specifically, Crowe said.

West showed the board a drawing of one possibility - a state-of-the-art campus to be built in a vacant area of the Wabash Crossing development, with a "greenway" leading from the campus to the main bus station downtown.

Students who use public transportation could walk to the bus station from the school, while the school itself could serve as a centerpiece of the downtown area. The building and grounds could be used for community activities when school is not in session, and the school's presence could serve as a magnet to draw people to live in the neighborhoods nearby.

"The high school should be the center of the community," West said, and the campus' location in the center of Decatur would make it visible to people traveling through town, people who might choose to live in Decatur because of its new and modern school.

In a related presentation, Kevin Heide of First MidState explained a new state law to the board which allows the implementation of a retail sales tax to benefit school facilities needs.

With county board approval, school districts representing at least 51 percent of the student population can place a referendum on the ballot to implement an additional sales tax in increments of 0.25 percent, up to 1 percent. The money can only be used for new buildings, renovations, safety or energy conservation work or building bond debt.

The county board retains the option of discontinuing the tax, but not if it would substantially inhibit the district's ability to pay off bonds, he said.

No vote was taken on either report. Both were meant to provide the board with information for possible future action.

Valerie Wells can be reached at vwells@herald-review.com or 421-7982.