Historic Preservation Briefs : January 2007

Chillicothe's old armory building is now out of the hands of the state and owned by the city. In its October 23rd session, city council voted to accept the property.

Council member Jean Malone has been reporting on the status of the old Armory in city council. On November 27th, she reported that Priscilla Smith of the Majestic Performing Arts Center was heading up the group to reuse the armory, but she had been "waylaid" by the chaos caused by the July fire that destroyed the Majestic's office. But Mrs. Smith would meet with the Franklin Park Conservatory in a week.

On December 7th, the Chillicothe Gazette reported on an armory meeting the previous day, and at the December 11th council, Mrs. Malone also reported on the meeting. The gist is that the Chillicothe Parks & Recreation Department will take care of the armory for now, and the department and jail crews were cleaning the building. The roof was inspected, and it was found that the roof is overall in good condition, though a few patches would help. The windows need to be replaced, but will be sealed for now. The "Ross County Conservancy," formed to create an "orangerie" out of the building (and not to be confused with the preservation group "Chillicothe Conservancy"), is still interested in it. The Ross County Veterans Council is also still interested in a small part of it becoming a museum.

The Gazette additionally reported that the building will still be heated instead of being completely "mothballed," and there is hope that the building could be rented out for meetings of other activities. The Gazette quoted Mrs. Malone as saying "We always knew, from the get go, that the building was sturdy. It used to be an arsenal." However, she also said "the agreement was, if it became too costly, we'll tear it down as a last resort." Oddly, the Gazette article was mistitled as "Regular maintenance starts at elementary school."

Several articles recently in the Chillicothe Gazette report that the Chillicothe City School District will most likely close down the Smith Junior High School building after anticipated new construction and reorganizing of district elementary schools. The reason stated for closing Smith is to save the district more than $100,000 (presumably annually) in utilities.

The plan to close Smith was first publicized in a November 21st article, where four options were listed to reorganize the district elementary and middle schools. All but one anticipates closing Smith, though keeping it in use during elementary school renovations.

The Gazette article states that full details on the three option were available on the schools website, < www.chillicothe.k12.oh.us>, but after a Google search of the site a month and a half after the article was printed, I can find only a few statements in the school board minutes. One pertinent statement from the October 16th special meeting is that

only the first three options [of five] should be presented to the Facilities Planning Committee for consideration. The objective of the reorganization is to provide the best educational programs in an efficient and as cost effective manner as possible.

The original Facilities Planning Committee will be reassembled and given the remaining three options to review and return with a recommendation for what structure best serves the community and their needs. The committee will also review the original Master Plan recommendation of a three campus concept, one high school / middle school campus, one East side elementary campus and one West side elementary campus to determine if it is still the best plan for the District.

Above and below, a 1977 article in the Chillicothe Gazette memorializes the namesake of Smith Junior High.

It is unclear how the three options stated in the minutes match with the four stated in the Gazette article. School board minutes were available online up to only October 23rd.

In the in a November 21st Gazette article, it was also mentioned that the district is having problems with declining enrollment and projected defecits that may reach $6,000,000 in 2011.

In a December 13th Gazette article, it was reported that the option chosen closed only Smith, with sixth graders attending the Western school building at 235 Cherry Street. No other school building would be closed, which however would not meet the state audit recommendation for the district to close two buildings. The sixth grade would be on the third floor of the Western bulding, with the city school offices remaining in the rest of the building.

In a December 15th Gazette article, it was reported that the board will receive an in-depth outline to determine if the plan is feasible, and the board will vote on whether to implement it.

The redistricting plan has been formulated by a committee composed of more than 50 citizens, school staff, and administrators, in conjunction with the consulting firm of Fanning/Howey Assosciates.

While combing through my files, I came across another letter to the editor penned by new Design Review Board member Tom Castor. His August 21st, 2005 letter further clarifies his views on preservation and the Design Review Board. I present it here to familliarize yourself with the newest guardian of downtown historic architecture.