Elyria Early Childhood Village to have new home at Crestwood

ELYRIA — Crestwood Elementary School won't close its doors for long, as it is slated to be the site of the Elyria Early Childhood Village. The Elyria School Board approved a Construction Management at Risk Agreement with AECOM for renovations at Crestwood. Building liaison Paul Rigda said the current EECV building — the administration building off of Griswold Road — needed extensive work. The former Elyria West high school needs some roof work and HVAC, and there are some exterior structure issues. Ultimately, Rigda said it would have been too cost-prohibitive for the repairs. After some evaluations, Rigda said Crestwood was pinpointed as the best site for EECV. It already sits on the same campus of the administration and Westwood off of Griswold Road. Feedback from parents indicated that they also liked being located inside Elyria Township, Rigda said. The Board of Education also operates out of the administration building. It would move in to a portion of the old Westwood building. A part of the old Westwood will be joined to the new Westwood Campus slated for completion in December 2020. It will operate as the arts wing of the building. However, there is still some room left over and that will be home to the Board of Education. The future of the administration building still isn't known. It could be torn down and the property could be sold, or the district would have the option to put it up for auction. Superintendent Ann Schloss said she's excited about the move, and that it creates room for an expansion of EECV. There are about 350 students in preschool and that number could continue to grow with development out on the west side near Crestwood and Westwood. "It's an opportunity for growth," Schloss said. "It's an opportunity to get our pre-K in what will feel like a brand-new building." Three of Elyria Schools' old buildings were traded with the city for a piece of land near the Northwood Campus. Franklin Elementary was moved to the city and a new business has started work there. Oakwood Elementary and McKinley Elementary were also taken by the city, but they won't transfer over until this school year is out. Northwood Middle School was sold by the school district at auction. Gwen Gilmore recently held a grand opening for her church and day care program. She is also looking to start a charter school for grades kindergarten through fifth grade. That left the school district with Prospect and Windsor. Those buildings are still in the district's hands, and Rigda said that probably won't change for a while. According to state law, the district can hold onto the buildings for two years. Until Elyria Schools decides what it would like to do with them, the two buildings will remain with the district. Under Ohio law, Elyria Schools will be required to offer a first right of refusal for any buildings for lease or sale to charter schools, college-preparatory boarding schools or any STEM schools that are within the district. If no charter school takes the opportunity within 60 days, the district can put the building up for auction. By trading the buildings with the city, the school district will not have to pay the demolition costs for the school buildings, saving the district about $1.5 million. Franklin's demolition and abatement alone would have cost more than $700,000. Another $1.5 million was saved by not demolishing Crestwood, Prospect and Windsor. Those dollars all went toward the extra construction costs that faced Elyria Schools. To pay for the needed renovations, Rigda said Elyria has about $3 million in bond issue money it held back for the end of the building projects. They also have some federal stimulus dollars that can be used toward new HVAC, windows, doors and ductwork. The district is set to get a third round of stimulus dollars, which Schloss said it will gather family feedback for how it should be spent. As of now, there is also no interruption planned to the softball fields out by the Westwood Campus, Rigda said. The renovations will probably occur between this summer and next fall to early winter. Rigda said the team working on the buildings have been created and worked hard to make everything possible but still make sure the new buildings were well done. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.