New life for old school site?

SANDUSKY — Two governing bodies in Sandusky are working on an agreement as it relates to the sale of a prominent city building. On Tuesday, Sandusky's school board ratified a purchase agreement with Sandusky's government for the former Osborne Elementary building, 920 Osborne St., and surrounding parcel. It's contingent on final approval from city commission, which, come Monday, should vote on this matter. In all likelihood, however, it's expected commissioners will support this legislation. Among the clauses: Sandsuky's city commission intends to spend $100,000 in local funds plus closing costs for this endeavor. In 2021, Osborne Elementary permanently closed after three new city school district buildings — Sandusky Early Learning Academy for preschool and kindergarten students; Sandusky Primary for first and second-grade students; and Sandusky Intermediate for grades 3-6 — opened. Earlier this year, Monroe Preparatory Academy — which occupies the former Monroe Elementary building — reportedly expressed interest in buying Osborne. Ohio law stipulates that public school districts must first offer a vacant school building to local charter schools, like Monroe Prep, which are operated independently. Appraisers previously listed the Osborne building at $250,000. What's the city's plan? Officials want to transform the historic structure into housing units for low- to moderate-income residents along with senior citizens. For years now, Sandusky has faced extreme challenges "with the need for housing units with the greatest gap in availability recognized for individuals of modest income," according to a city memo. There's both a lack of available and affordable housing across Sandusky, according to a recent study overseen by Firelands Forward, a regional workforce development collaborative. In a small but meaningful step, this legislation aims to address both issues while reactivating a noteworthy site. "The intent of this purchase is to foster the rehabilitation of the historic Osborne School building through an adaptive reuse project to turn it into housing units and bring it up to modern accessibility standards while preserving historic character," the memo read. Sandusky Schools has "maintained the high quality and condition of the former Osborne School, yet they no longer have a use for the structure," it read. "This transaction will remove an unused building from the school district inventory with the end goal of it becoming a community asset through adaptive reuse as housing." Here's a look at a preliminary plan in regard to officials transforming Osborne School. They would: • Readapt the structure into at least 20 new housing units • Engage with neighbors on a development plan • Ensure a rental rate restriction, of some kind, to promise affordability for specific demographics in need • Preserve not only the school building but playground area As of today, it's not known exactly who could live there or the process for which people can apply. It's also unknown how much development costs would total and how the city government would cover that amount. Speaking up School district officials fully support the city's plan, hence why they authorized a tentative purchase agreement with city commission. "Our community, at all levels, desires to be collaborative and supportive to provide the best possible opportunities for our citizens, families and students," district superintendent Dan Rambler said. "We appreciate the collaboration to provide a housing opportunity within our community and renovate an amazing historic building." Government officials, meanwhile, appreciate the school district's trust in their vision. "Osborne School is a beautiful historic building that has been a part of our city for over 130 years, and we are excited about the prospect of giving it new life," city manager John Orzech said. "We look forward to partnering with a developer to rehabilitate the building into affordable housing units, which are greatly needed in Sandusky," Orzech added. "I appreciate the Sandusky City Schools working with us to make this happen." History lesson The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a protected city landmark. The Sandusky Library's history blog briefly summarized the building's early history: According to the book "Treasure by the Bay" by Ellie Damm, Osborne School — formerly known as the Seventh Ward School in Sandusky — was built in the Romanesque Revival style by George Feick in 1890. Many of the students who attended this school were the children of railroad workers. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway depot was not far from this school. In 1908, the school was enlarged, with an addition that doubled its size. In the fall of 1912, the name of the Seventh Ward School was changed to Osborne School.