The rampant success of the St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Center in recent years has resulted in the decision tonight by the St. Joseph Public Schools Board of Education to buy a new facility to house the school’s administrative team this summer.
St. Joseph Public Schools Board President Barry Conybeare announced tonight at the school board meeting that the trustees have signed an agreement to purchase the former United Federal Credit Union Training Center at 2580 Cleveland Avenue in St. Joseph to house the district’s administration offices and training facilities.
For more than a decade, the school district has leased office space at the St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Center at 3275 Lincoln Avenue, however, last year the Senior Center informed school administrators that due to increased membership and expanded programming it needed to have access to the entire building. They asked the district to find alternate administration office space after the gap lease agreement ended on December 31, 2019. Since then the Senior Center has leased the office space to the district on a month-to-month basis.
Board President Conybeare says, “We are excited about the Senior Center’s growth and we want to help with their expansion as quickly as possible. So, we immediately started searching for an affordable and easily accessible office facility within the district.” He says school administrators and the board carefully reviewed other options before formally choosing the Cleveland Avenue site tonight.
The 7,100-square-foot facility is available for $630,000 and requires minimal renovations. The move-in date is slated for August of 2020.
Superintendent, Dr. Tom Bruce says, “Many factors weighed into our recommendation to purchase the training center facility,” noting, “It is available at 76-percent of market value and offers our district excellent value for our dollar.”
He adds that all of the training center’s furniture and technology are included in the purchase price which will significantly lower renovation costs. The building also was recently updated for training which will help meet a district need.
Dr. Bruce says the next steps for the district are to obtain financing and close on the building sale by July 1st. Initial renovations will follow to create a reception area, add signage, improve security and create flexible meeting space. The district will hold a grand opening for the community at the end of 2020.
