The Rock Island city council has taken the first step toward demolishing the former Lincoln School at 2125 7th Ave.

By a 6-to-1 vote, the council voted to override the city's preservation commission and grant a certificate of appropriateness for demolition. The commission denied the city's request for the certificate on April 25, but city law states the council may override the commission's denial.

Built in 1894, the building has been vacant since 1985. The city bought it in 2007 for $53,000.

Larry Miller was one of four people who came to Monday's council meeting seeking to convince aldermen to keep the school standing.

"The city should do whatever it can to keep it there," he said before the meeting.

Mr. Miller said he'd happily pay more in taxes if it meant saving the historic building. "It wouldn't bother me to pick up extra taxes for something like that," he said.

During the meeting, he reiterated his hope that the city would not demolish the building.

"That school should be saved at all costs," Mr. Miller said. "I'd hate to think of what might be there if it was gone."

Ald. Jason Jones, 5th Ward, cast the lone vote against overriding the commission's decision.

"From the beginning, I've been against demolishing it," Ald. Jones said after the meeting.

Ald. Jones said he thought the city would make it very easy for anyone who wanted to redevelop the old school to buy it. He acknowledged that whoever bought the building would have to do a lot of work to make it useable again.

"I think if we needed to sell it for a dollar, we would," he said. "The roof is not in great shape. The structure itself is very solid."

In other business, the council accepted Rock Island-based Valley Construction's street resurfacing bid of $748,878.20. According to public works director Bob Hawes, 24th Street between 5th and 9th avenues will be resurfaced, part of the sanitary sewer will be replaced and the water main will be completely replaced.

The council also voted to amend its agreement with Symbiont, the general contractor for the expansion of the Mill Street Sewage Treatment Plant. In a memo to the council, Mr. Hawes recommended the agreement be amended to pay Symbiont an additional $387,000 to install new controls and software at the plant.