Delaware Area Career Center’s board of education has voted to put the North Campus up for sale.
DACC officials said selling the North Campus facility, located on State Route 521, has been part of the center’s consolidation plan since the project was announced.
“When the DACC board of education made the decision to utilize the South Campus land for the renovation and construction process, they made a commitment to the community to maintain the North building and not let it become an eyesore,” DACC Treasurer Chris Bell said Friday. “At the Feb. 18 board meeting, the DACC board voted to sell the North Campus. They are keeping their promise and will continue to maintain the building until it is sold.”
DACC officials said the Ohio Revised Code has certain guidelines for selling school buildings and stipulates that the property must first be offered to charter schools and college-preparatory boarding schools. If it is not sold to one of those organizations, then it will be placed up for public auction.
The board also stipulated that the DACC has a reserve on the North Campus property until the consolidated campus opens in August 2018.
DACC officials have said that all programs currently offered at the North Campus will be moved to the consolidated South Campus.
In January, the board voted to approve a budget of $45 million for the consolidation, which will require construction at the to-be-expanded South Campus. A feasibility study conducted by the school to determine whether it was possible to consolidate the campuses estimated the cost of consolidation would be about $35 million.
School officials said the cost of updating and upgrading the two campuses would have been $23 million.
At its Feb. 10 work session, the DACC board and Superintendent Mary Beth Freeman were presented with preliminary designs from SHP Leading Designs, the architecture firm in charge of designing the consolidated campus.
SHP staff members said the project was moving along on schedule and they would be revising the design before presenting it again.
Greg Gaber, managing principal of the SHP Columbus office, said the final design will be submitted for the school board’s approval on April 21.
A preliminary timeline says ground will be broken on the building this fall and construction will begin in the spring of 2017. The consolidated campus is expected to be completed by the second semester of the 2018-19 school year.
After the Feb. 10 work session, DACC officials declined to provide The Gazette with a drawing of the preliminary design, saying they did not have a copy and that it belongs to SHP Leading Designs. However, officials gave the newspaper a copy of the drawing this week, and it accompanies the story.
The board on Thursday also voted to approve a number of overnight trips for students participating in regional competitions this semester.
The next board meeting is March 8 at 6 p.m.
