A proposal to repurpose the former Todd Early Childhood Center would create a partnership between West Aurora School District and Mutual Ground in Aurora, district officials said.
The West Aurora School Board was informed recently of ongoing discussions where Mutual Ground — a nonprofit domestic violence prevention agency — would share space in the building with the district for a combination of administrative offices and walk-in services for clients.
The district would also utilize space to provide student-related services that cannot be done within existing school facilities, such as counseling and vaccinations.
The city of Aurora has been serving as the conduit between the district and Mutual Ground, district officials said.
“We share the interests that it not be an empty building,” said West Aurora Assistant Superintendent of Operations Angie Smith.
The proposal is still in the early stages, officials said.
The facility at 100 Oak Ave. in Aurora has been vacant since earlier this year, when the district's early childhood programs moved into the new West Aurora Learning Center on the district's 15-acre campus off of Edgelawn Drive and Downer Place.
It would be expensive for the district to renovate the structure, district officials said.
“The beauty of this is for us to go on our own and likewise for Mutual Ground. It provides a way for a win-win-win. The citizens of Aurora benefit because the building stays open,” Smith said.
The proposed arrangement would have the district transfer ownership of the building to the city and in exchange the district would occupy dedicated space in perpetuity. The city would then enter into an agreement to donate the building to Mutual Ground.
Mutual Ground would assume redevelopment and construction responsibility over the entire building, according to Smith.
The city is in the position of knowing both the needs of the school district and Mutual Ground, Smith said.
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“The city was able to create a bridge to meeting everyone’s needs,” Smith said in an email response to The Beacon-News.
Mutual Ground's tentative plans are to utilize the space primarily for administrative needs and walk-in services, so they can devote more space at its current location to providing services to families in crisis, Smith said.
Mutual Ground services victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse in the Aurora area, southern Kane and Kendall counties.
Local historians have expressed interest in not only the future of the Todd Early Childhood Center but its contents.
Oak Avenue has been the site of different schools since 1852, according to West Aurora School District’s website. There are several Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration murals that hang on the walls of the building that are of interest to historians as well.
As part of the district's agreement, the city would receive the art to ensure it is handled appropriately given its historical significance, Smith said.
The school board is anticipated to have further discussions about the potential agreement June 17.