DANVILLE — The future of the Danville Local Schools’ former intermediate school building has been in limbo for several months.
Originally, the consensus was to demolish the building in preservation to enhance the perimeter of the high school building.
But there lays another point of view, founded by several Danville citizens formerly known as The Danville Heritage Association, who believe the 1944 building should stand and be used for a variety of potential community-focused purposes.
The board and Supt. Jason Snively are hosting a town hall May 15 to hear from the community on what they think should be done to the building.
A late 2022 survey conducted by the association found that over 85% of respondents favored preservation and repurposing of the building for the community’s benefit.
A structural inspection of the building was commissioned by the association and found it to be “fundamentally sound.”
The association’s current plans include incorporation and application for IRS 501(3)c nonprofit status in order to complete the organization’s goals and fundraising efforts.
In 2022, the utilities cost the district $11,586, Snively said, once moving to the new facility located on 203 S. Richards St, the utilities are expected to be decreased by a significant margin.
Since the meeting was announced April 21, the association has been gathering supporters of keeping the building in one piece, coordinator and village resident Pat Crow said. A Facebook page has been created for the association.
A few days after Danville’s April Board of Education meeting, a “model lease” was handed to a few board members who went to the intermediate building committee’s monthly meeting.
The agreement would be ideally be a 20-year lease, allowing them to potentially secure state and federal grants that require said long-term lease.
Crow said he’s unsure if the board will make a decision about the lease at May’s board meeting.
In past meetings, Snively has said he’s for demolishing the building, citing a need for extra parking and safety for the exterior of the high school.
“When we started our community advisory team meetings a year and a half ago to try to address some needs of the district, at the time some participants learned we no longer would have a need for this building and it would envision the best purpose of this lot would be for parking,” Snively said.
“No shape or form did I intend that the bulk of our time and efforts as the board and everything would focus on the preservation of this building. It was set out to what we could do to better serve our students and keep facilities and provide additional facilities for students on a daily basis,” he said.
