After months of debate over its future, the former East Noble Middle School building is now under the control of the City of Kendallville.
The historic building's fate has been debated for months, with school officials slating it for destruction last fall. But earlier this year, the East Noble School Board switched positions. The building is safe for now, unless plans to redevelop it as a community learning center fall through.
Ownership of the building transferred Wednesday evening at a school board meeting, according to a release from the Dekko Foundation.
The city will own the building until a newly-established Community Learning Center Inc. receives its official tax-exempt status and assumes possession, according to the release.
But tax payers aren't on the hook for its upkeep, thanks to a $1 million endowment fund by the Dekko Foundation until a proposed community learning center is operating, or to demolish it if necessary.
“We are grateful for the collaboration between the school board and the community,” said Kendallville Mayor SuzAnne Handshoe in the release.
“A group of dedicated citizens from many different agencies has spent months working together planning the transformation of this building into a dynamic learning environment and tremendous regional asset,” Handshoe said.
The Community Learning Center corporation will operate a proposed learning center in the 130,000-square-foot building.
Officials said the center is not intended to duplicate existing programming. Instead, organizations will operate programs independently and collaboratively that meet the needs of community members from birth through their senior years and encourage interactions across generations, according to the release.
