A New Albany Church has purchased the property of the now-defunct Village Academy and intends to convert the site — located at 284 Liberty St. in Powell — into a campus for a new church.
According to the Delaware County Auditor’s website, the 7.849-acre property was purchased Dec. 26 by Faith Life Church New Albany, located at 2407 Beech Road in New Albany, for $3.5 million.
Village Academy announced its closure suddenly in July 2019, citing declining enrollment and withdrawal of contracts. The property has been vacant since July 19.
After the purchase was complete, the 4,000-member church posted a message on its Facebook page addressed to the Powell community.
“We’re thrilled to share that, as of Thursday, December 26, 2019, we’ve officially closed on our second Faith Life Church campus — the former Village Academy schools property,” the post states. “We were very disappointed to hear about the Village Academy closing and the void it left in the community as we know it was cherished by many. Our heart is that we may be able to continue the legacy of Village Academy, and once again provide a place for children and families to connect.”
The post states that since they purchased the property, the church has met with local leaders and officials to get an idea of what services the church can provide to the Powell community when its doors open in spring 2020.
“We are also looking into how we can help restore trophies and school memorabilia to former students as well as the community in order to help cherish the impact the Village Academy had on so many,” the post continued. “We want to help continue the strong tradition of bringing family and community together to better the city of Powell. We will be sharing more details as soon as our community meetings are completed. We are looking forward to helping offer our support and facilities as we embark on this new adventure together!”
The church’s website states the property’s more than 80,000 square feet will have room for a dance studio, classrooms, computer labs, and an auditorium.
