FUTURE OF ELMHURST PROPERTY REMAINS A MYSTERY

On February 13 at 6pm the Fort Wayne Community School Board of Trustees held a hearing and vote to decide to seek a buyer for Elmhurst High School and adjacent farm land. The school was closed after the 2009 – 2010 school year ended, and the building has remained vacant since.

The school Board cited costs of maintenance on the building as the primary motivation to sell. Although there are no official offers yet, the Board indicated that they have received some interest in the property.

It would also be possible to divide the property into parcels to be sold separately. The School Board wanted to make it clear that only the school building and the farmland were being put up for sale, and that the sporting fields, such as the football and baseball fields, would remain in possession of Fort Wayne Community Schools.

Several citizens showed up to voice their views about the potential sale of Elmhurst. The views ranged from wanting to keep the building for future use as an educational institution to using the land as farmland. Other citizens that live in the neighborhoods surrounding the Elmhurst property were concerned about what the potential buyers would use the site for and how that would affect traffic flow. It was also suggested that the building could be declared a historical landmark, because part of it was designed by a famous architect.

The Board ultimately voted to offer the building and property for sale.