Officials mull uses for under-utilized middle school
CAPAC — Could the village and school district partner together to bring new life to the Middle School? Leaders from both entities planned to meet this month to discuss options for the mostly vacant school building.
“It’s a resource that is underutilized at the moment,” Capac School Board Vice President Bill Ellis said at the village council’s April 1 meeting.
Ellis said the two parties didn’t need to make formal plans right away but he hoped they could identify a direction for the historic building on Neeper Street.
Council President John Grzyb said he was in talks with school superintendent Jeff Terpenning to sit down together, possibly this week. Others in on the discussion would be Ellis and school board President Monica Standel.
The district started winding down regular use of the middle school in 2016 when sixth grade classes were moved to the elementary school and seventh and eighth grades transitioned to the high school.
Since then the district has used portions of the building for their Virtual program, some summer programming and the Metal and Soul robotics teams has used the school’s gymnasium.
According to lawyers who the school district has consulted with, documents suggest that the school district owns the building while the village owns the actual land it sits on.
In the past, village leaders suggested the building could serve as a recreation/community center. School board members have floated the idea of a skills training or adult education center.
In other meeting matters:
•a Deer Park Estates resident sought advice from village leaders regarding the state of the roads in their development. Council members said they should seek the counsel of an attorney.
•council members gave the okay to sell the vacant lot they own at 108 N. Lester Street.
