A vacant city-owned school is now the property of a local developer.
The Galesburg City Council on Monday unanimously approved the sale of the former Churchill Jr. High School, 905 Maple Ave. to Rob Benedict and Benedict Family Foundation.
Alderman unanimously agreed to bypass first reading and elected to complete the sale Monday. The vote was 7-0, with Mayor Peter Schwartzman also voting yes. Fifth Ward Council member Heather Acerra was absent.
Benedict said one of the first tenants would be Head Start early learning program. Head Start currently leases space from Benedict at 277 E. Tompkins St., however the federal organization is seeking a location better suited for a school environment.
The rest of the property will be leased to non-profit organizations.
Benedict will pay the city $100,000 for Churchill “as is.” According to the written offer, Benedict is proposing to renovate a portion of the building and lease it to Hope Head Start by Aug. 12, 2024.
Benedict tells WGIL, “We want to make sure we can provide the services that are needed in the community, and this space will allow that to happen.”
Benedict submitted the same $100,000 bid to buy Churchill last August, however pulled that offer when the city failed to expedite the process. At that time, his plans were to lease a portion of Churchill to an alternative school that has since elected to locate in the former NAPA Auto Parts at 883 W. Dayton St.
“I think I did a better job of explaining my purpose this time,” Benedict said. “By moving it forward so quick and unanimously, I think the City Council sees and supports my vision.”
One possible non-profit tenant, according to Benedict, could be Hope Initiative. The Hope Initiative, which currently operates out of part of the former Galesburg Rescue Mission on East third Street, receives food and household items that then are organized and distributed back to the community.
“Graham Health Care was gracious enough to give Hope a one-year contract to use part of their building, but the hope is for Hope to outgrow that soon and it would allow them to move from Third Street to the property on Maple Avenue.”
The city acquired Churchill for $1 from District 205 in 2022 with hopes of transforming the former school into a community center. After much back and forth and public debate, a majority of the City Council last year voted to move on from Churchill as a community center location and sell the former school building.
Benedict’s bid is for Lot 2 which includes approximately 6.62 acres and is the portion of the property where the existing school building is located. This lot will include everything from approximately 15 feet north of the school to the south property line.
The city would retain Lot 1 of the subdivision as green space for future use. Lot 1 is approximately 8.28 acres and contains the green space, the parking lot on the north side of Churchill and the vehicular entrances to Maple Avenue and Mary Street.
Benedict said work will begin to rehab Churchill “once I sign the contract and give the city my check.”
