ANDERSONVILLE — Months have turned to years in the ongoing debate over what should become of the shuttered Trumbull School building in Andersonville.
While there haven't been many answers about the future of the school building at the corner of Ashland Avenue and Foster Street, at least one option being considered appears to be off the table — a non-charter school.
Earlier this week, Ald. Pat O'Connor (40th) told constituents that he spoke with the Chicago Board of Education about adding a non-charter school to the list of possible uses in the building's contract, something many residents had supported, but the board has chosen "not [to] put the item on its agenda."
"The Board of Education is looking for Svigos, the contract purchaser, to close on the building with the condo and theater use restriction" in place, O'Connor said in a newsletter Tuesday.
In Sept. 2015, the Chicago Board of Education approved the sale of the building to Svigos, the highest bidder at $5.25 million. The building must be used for mixed-use development not to exceed 49 units and must include "a Chicago-based Theater" open to the public, according to the disposition of bids.
In September of last year, TimeLine Theatre backed out of the deal after "a complex, year-long collaboration to develop financial and architectural plans" that met both groups' desires. The theater's Artistic Director PJ Powers said the developer requirements for Federal Tax credits lead to some "dealbreaker issues."
Since then, Svigos has had a difficult time finding a new theater group to partner with.
"Svigos has indicated that there may not be enough profit in the project with the current restrictions," but is working on different options "to make the project more viable from their perspective," O'Connor said in the update Tuesday.
The update felt like bad news for some residents, who've been wondering about the status of the building for months.
"Now, the fear is we're getting neither" a theater or school, Cameron Kreiger, president of West Andersonville Neighbors Together, said about a week after the theater backed out.
At a community meeting in September, representatives of Waldorf school, the second highest bidder for the building, continued to express interest in the building. But based on Ald. O'Connor's update this week, the door has likely closed on that possibility.
Residents have expected Svigos to close on the property for months, but that has yet to happen.
