Lakota old school battle: Tear down or reuse?

LIBERTY TWP. – Residents told the Lakota school board they want to save a historic school and taxpayers the $300,000 tab for tearing it down.

More than a dozen self-described fiscal activists and tea party members were among the 70-plus audience attending Tuesday evening's rare, single issue school board meeting at the Central Office.

Topic: The controversial deal involving the demolition of the former Union School building in Olde West Chester to build a Boys & Girls Club.

Last month, the activists ratcheted up public opposition to the deal, catching Lakota officials by surprise since its school board had approved the agreement last year with few complaints at the time.

District officials used the meeting to reiterate their reasoning behind accepting a deal to tear down the nearly century-old school and share the $500,000 demolition costs with the Boys & Girls Club of West Chester and Liberty.

Those opposing the deal, which could eventually lead to a new $6.5 million Boys & Girls Club at the site, peppered school board members and officials with questions on the financial soundness of the agreement.

"It's a topic that gets a lot of people up in arms," said West Chester Township resident Danielle Richardson, local chapter founder for Campaign For Liberty, a national organization pushing for limited government and monitoring of public spending.

"They (Lakota officials) were really kind of being sneaky about this," said Richardson, who contends the building is of historic value and could be used for community group meetings and other activities.

Fellow West Chester resident and Greater Cincinnati Tea Party President Ann Becker complained the Boys & Girls Club organization should find a new site and pay for it without using any school taxpayer dollars.

Lakota officials countered the deal was discussed during multiple public meetings and makes financial sense. Renovating and raising the school to modern building codes would cost more than $10 million, according to a state school facilities study they cited.

Moreover, the agreement, they argued, calls for the youth organization to cover $200,000 of the $500,000 demolition costs, thus, they say, saving taxpayer money.

The club will cover the $200,000 demolition cost by paying $10,000 annually for the first 20 years of its 50-year lease with Lakota. Once demolished, the club will then construct a $6.5 million, 30,000-square-foot youth club under the lease agreement.

"This was a business decision and an important decision," Superintendent Karen Mantia told the crowd. "And this is a great business decision."

Board member Todd Parnell said "there is a big sentimental attachment" to the former Union School – which opened in 1914 – and stands on 9 acres at 8735 Cincinnati-Dayton Road.

Lakota has not used the building as a school since 2010.

Board members said there are no plans to renegotiate the deal, but they held the public meeting to help reiterate their reasoning behind signing it.

"This is not a bad deal," said Parnell, a business executive. "And I don't see changes coming to the agreement."