Washington Avenue school draws interest

There’s a good chance the Washington Avenue Kindergarten Center won’t be sitting empty next year. Several possible tenants have looked at the building, which will be closing at the end of June.

Washington Avenue houses three kindergarten classes from Clear Stream Avenue School. Those classes will be moved to Shaw Avenue School next year, where there is extra space. District 30 officials say the move will save money because a nurse, security guard and custodian will no longer be needed for Washington Avenue.

Lisa Rutkoske, the assistant superintendent for business, said several day care centers have expressed an interest in renting the building. She said district officials have already shown the building to prospective renters. Washington Avenue has three classrooms, a multi-purpose room and some office space.

“There definitely has been interest,” Rutkoske said.

Washington Avenue was built as a small school in 1956. It closed in the 1970s and was rented out for several years, before it was converted into District 30’s central administration building. In 2003, it was renovated and converted into the kindergarten center.

Rutkoske said the building has been used as a day care center before. The Wooden Shoe Nursery School used it for much of the 1980s until the district needed the space back. She said she believes that day care centers are interested in the building because it is designed to be an early childhood center, and its location in a residential neighborhood.

The district has not included an potential rent money in it 2011-12 budget, because there has been no agreement yet.