Dover schools clear properties but future construction plans unclear
DOVER – The Dover City School District is tearing down buildings near the middle school to make way for expansion, but what that will look like and how it will be funded is unclear.
By Friday morning, the former East of Chicago Pizza on North Wooster Avenue was a pile of rubble and crews were prepping the former Pro-Print next door and two nearby houses for demolition.
County auditor records show the district spent $1.37 million to buy those four properties in the past year.
District officials have been eyeing the middle school property for expansion as they deal with aging buildings, including the 110-year-old Dover Avenue Elementary School.
They looked at several options last year, including consolidating all grade levels from pre-K through 8 into one new building on the middle school site.
Those plans stalled as a dispute with county officials over construction funding ended up in court. Superintendent Karie McCrate says those issues are still working their way through the court system.
She says the district will continue working with the community to come up with a master facilities plan.
Last year’s construction proposals were estimated to cost roughly $80 million dollars, with more than half of that coming from the state – money the district can’t access until it secures local funding.
In the meantime, the cleared properties will remain greenspace until questions about school construction and funding are answered.