Big Walnut Local Schools’ central office will be moving to the former Central Baptist Church facility at 110 Tippett Court in Sunbury.
During the Oct. 8 school board meeting, Superintendent Angie Pollock announced that the central office would be moving from Big Walnut Intermediate School to warehouse space at the 117 Kintner Parkway transportation building.
On Dec. 10, however, Pollock announced that a different office space solution was in the works. The Kintner Parkway rehab project is off; district offices will move to the former church facility next door to Noah’s Ark day care.
“When we sold the Galena administration building, we said we would only be at the intermediate school for three to five years,” Pollock said. “Student enrollment is increasing. As students needed more space, we started looking for a place to go.”
Pollock noted that this school year’s fourth-grade class tops 300 students. To put that class size in perspective, last year’s graduating class was 219 students. With 1,300 residential units on Sunbury’s horizon alone, the district expects all class sizes to continue to grow.
“Last month we had decided on an architect to convert unused space in the bus garage but, in the meantime, another facility became available,” Pollock said. “The Central Baptist Church building will house our administrative offices for the same amount of money.”
Pollock said the contract price for the Tippett Court building is $420,000; and Tippett Court would be easier to market as the school district outgrows the facility.
“It’s much cheaper to purchase that office space than build classroom space for our students,” Pollock added. “We’ll start moving there over the summer, but we will miss being around our students at the intermediate school.”
Pollock said board members would tour the Tippett Court building over Christmas break.