University Heights Center for the Community recently received a matching grant from the city of $59,438 to aid its efforts to purchase the building from the the Seattle School District.
Although the organization already has $4.3 million set aside for the purchase, the grant will help University Heights Center to get organized with project management and possibly a capital campaign.
"We're working out the numbers, working out the plan. We're working with an architectural firm," said the Center's executive director Richard Sorenson. "One of the themes we want to have is sustainability and a green building."
According to Sorenson, University Heights was given until June 2008 by the school district to put together a purchase agreement, and that, he said, is keeping everyone focused on transferring University Heights permanently to the community.
Kathy Johnson, the school district's facilities planning manager, said that the District made the building eligible to be sold to its current occupants after deciding to surplus the building.
"We've identified the building as one that we will no longer need with tenants who want to have certainty over their future," said Johnson.
In addition to the District deciding to make the buildings eligible for purchase, the Seattle City Council also approved a plan that sets aside $5 million for securing the future of the buildings that currently houses Phinney and University Heights neighborhood centers.
Both of these Centers have until 2008 to secure their purchase of the building before other buyers can get involved.
IT'S AN ACTIVE PLACE
For the last 17 years, Sorenson said University Heights Center has been "hopping" with activity and entertainment for the community. One of the key services University Heights offers is a lot for the University District Farmers Market.
"The farmers market plays a real intimate role with the community, as the single biggest community draw," said Chris Curtis, director of the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance.
The U-District, which Curtis said suffers from transient residents, needs University Heights to act as a center that gives a weekly meeting place for neighbors.
"It's a social catalyst for the area. The market and U-Heights has all the good things people want to support in it."
In addition to the market, the Center facilities also house Able Child Day Care and the Northwest Choirs, all establishments focused on the community.
"This is a very vibrant, active community center and all that would be a tragic loss to this region. University Heights is leading the way as far as a solution to how you can reuse a closed school in the city," said Sorenson.
Although University Heights has operated for almost two decades and has become a staple to the community, it has only operated on long-term leases.
According to Sorenson, this lease with the District has been somewhat "one-sided" so purchasing the building will al so help the Center financially.
SELLING CONSIDERED INVESTMENT
Johnson said the idea to sell the surplus schools started with the Community Advisory Committee for Investing in Educational Excellence in February 2006, which ironically meant selling schools.
"The idea came up as part of the District's overall efforts to find more capital, and it was identified as an opportunity for the District to liquidate the surplus properties," Johnson said. "It's all about financial improvements. By liquidating, it frees up capital that we can put into buildings we are already maintaining and operating."
Both Johnson and Sorenson said they did not know how much the property is worth.
Sorenson said the school District has already had the property appraised, however, he hasn't heard nor seen the final appraisal.
With four other surplus properties to go through the same process, University Heights is making the most headway to permanently becoming a community center.
"There's a great opportunity here to create a model for a multi-use community center," Sorenson said. "What better place than in the U-District. The opportunity is here; we just need to make it happen."
And the one thing not lacking in this process is the community's voice and support for University Heights.
"The community has resoundingly said we want University Heights to stay with the community. It's essential to the community, and we couldn't have such a fabulous market without it," Curtis said.
Sorenson also affirmed that it will happen, but to see his affirmation come true University Heights must reach a mutual purchasing agreement by June 2008 before the District offers the building to other buyers.
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