Sun staff
The site of the former Batavia Elementary School, which closed its doors on May 27, will be turned into green space.
While details are still being finalized, Batavia Local Schools Superintendent Keith Millard said the plan is to demolish the school, located at 215 Broadway St., and return the 5-acre property to green space that can be used by the community.
“We’ve also identified areas of blacktop that we’ll tear up and seed,” Millard said, adding that the steps on the west side of the property will be removed, and the slope will be graded.
District officials will also leave some of the property’s existing sidewalk infrastructure so that it can be used as part of a walking path throughout the property.
“We don’t have any drawings for the whole project yet, but we mapped out a plan with the architect,” Millard explained.
Currently, the project is in the pre-engineering phase; demolition is planned for this fall.
“We’re hoping to hold bid walkthroughs by the end of August and award a contract in September for asbestos abatement and demolition in September,” Millard said.
The school district has been working with the village of Batavia on the plan.
“Batavia will miss the old school on Broadway. It’s been the town’s school site for 145 years,” village of Batavia Mayor John Thebout said in an email. “We are glad the school board has decided to maintain the property as a public space.”
He added, “I’ve been working with Superintendent Keith Millard on the plans, and we are pleased that the school district has made a commitment to ensure that the property will be available for Batavia residents to use.”
The school district will contact the property’s neighbors once more details, including a timeline, are finalized.
“Once we get a handle on what this looks like, our plan is to engage the neighbors – those people whose property directly abuts the site,” Millard explained.
The district’s outreach efforts will also include a Q&A session, so that plans can be further developed around the needs of the community.
Tentatively, Millard expects the construction on the project to begin this fall; some landscaping is slated to take place this fall as well. Green space restoration and project completion is scheduled for spring 2017.
Millard also noted that the public is invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Batavia Elementary School, located on the Batavia High School campus at 1 Bulldog Place, on Aug. 13 at 10 a.m.