One of the last remaining original buildings at Centerville Mills Park will be demolished as planned after longtime tenant Aurora Co-Op Preschool vacates it June 30, Bainbridge Township Trustees announced at their May 28 meeting.
One of the last remaining original buildings at Centerville Mills Park will be demolished as planned after longtime tenant Aurora Co-Op Preschool vacates it June 30, Bainbridge Township Trustees announced at their May 28 meeting.
The school leased the building since 2007. The structure, built in the 1920s, had been part of a century-old YMCA camp acquired by the township in 2003.
Eleven years later, after several studies and a focus committee recommendation, trustees decided to demolish most of the aging structures, many of them deteriorated, and retain only a few buildings used as rental facilities. Most of the former camp’s buildings have been demolished during the past several years and Centerville Mills has been turned into a passive park.
Trustees in 2014 decided to add the preschool building to the list of demolition projects because studies had shown it needed expensive repairs and upgrades. The wooden building is constructed on a concrete slab and has a block foundation.
School officials approached trustees several years ago with a proposal to repair and expand the building, but trustees rejected the idea of a private company improving a public building. School officials then told trustees they planned to move to another location and would vacate when the lease expires June 30.
At the May 28 trustees meeting, Bainbridge Service Director Jim Stanek recommended the building be razed and the vacant land, located close to the popular and frequently-rented dining hall, be used for some much needed parking.
Stanek said the playground adjacent to the preschool could be sold, but should not be kept at the location or moved somewhere else in the park.
He told trustees the preschool has already begun moving out of the building.
“We need to be pro-active with this,” Markley said. “We need to send a letter to the preschool confirming that their last day will be June 30.”
Trustees agreed to ask Stanek to send the letter. Stanek agreed to inform trustees of the preschool’s move.
