OSAGE, Iowa (AP) - Just weeks after approving a move to demolish the last of the historic Cedar Valley Seminary buildings, a proposal to save the building will be discussed Tuesday at a special meeting of the Osage School Board.
Few details of the proposal have been released, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported (https://bit.ly/1NPN2wC ) Saturday. Board President Konnie Snider has said only that a “group came forward with actual funding, purpose and timeline” for moving the building.
Only those presenting the plan will be allowed to speak at the school board meeting Tuesday, Snider said. She declined to say who will present the plan.
Superintendent Steve Bass said individuals connected to the plan contacted Bob Kern, an Osage graduate who has been a benefactor of projects in the past, and former U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska, also an Osage graduate, for support.
“The board decided to give the individuals a week to come up with a purpose and funding,” said Bass. “That’s not a lot of time, but the board wanted to give them a chance.”
The school board voted unanimously last month to demolish the building to make room for a proposed future addition to Lincoln Elementary School, located just south of the seminary building.
Several board members expressed a desire to save the building, but said the school district didn’t have the money to do so and had not been approached by anyone with a solid plan to move it.
Known in its heyday as “Old Central,” the 1869 building was the anchor for what was considered a college preparatory school. Eventually, all other buildings in the complex were torn down after the seminary closed.
The Osage School District retained ownership of the building, which was used for classes until 1966. In 1977, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Information from: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, https://www.wcfcourier.com
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