#OldSchool: Glick School Project Seems To Be A Sensitive Issue

We dug around the internet to get some background information on the eventual demolition of Glick School in Marshalltown.- - - - - - - - - - - -

By Isabel Stewart
Marshalltown Times Republican

Plans to demolish Glick Elementary School (GES) and build apartments for individuals with chronic mental illness continue to evoke mixed emotions of nostalgia, historical preservation and goodwill to all men, in local residents.

The project could begin as early as September, pending funding from Housing Urban Development (HUD), according to Marty Wymore, executive director of Region 6 Planning Commission (R6PC).

“This is a very sensitive issue,” said Mike Bergman, CEO of Center Associates (CA). “Te individuals that will be housed in the apartments will not have a supervisor, or a live-in apartment manager. The patients that we deal with have schizophrenia, bipolar disease and similar chronic mental illnesses…that do not go into remission.”

“It is not uncommon for individuals with these conditions to have part time work and cars,” Bergman said. Most individuals live in a manner similar to anyone else, and most local residents seem to agree, he said.

“If turning the old school into a home for those who need it is a way to preserve this landmark, then by all means do it,” said Richard Smith, a local resident.

“It is not true that ‘nobody’ wants to live next to the mentally challenged, it does not speak for me, as I have found them to be good neighbors,” another resident, Time judge said.

Some sentimentally reminisce about the memories that GES conjures up, the faces of teachers and children that walked and played games in the old building. Smith remembers gathering in the gym to watch John Glenn make the first U.S. manned space flight.

“I wonder if I were to walk through her late at night, if the echo of the children’s voices could be heard. As for graffiti on the walls, how dare anyone treat this grand dame this way, I can understand the asbestos issue, but good grief treat her in the way she deserves,” Smith said. “I never realized that the city would allow this fine old building to fall into such despair.”

The asbestos problem is unfortunately not just in the floors, it is all over the building, in the pipes, the walls, the roof and the boiler, and it will take several months to remove.

However, it is not this problem that will cause the building to likely be demolished.

Wymore said it was not his intention to contradict anything said by building inspector Scott Riemonschreider. Clarifying that this issue is sensitive for more reasons than using politically correct and inoffensive terminology to describe various mental disorders.

Although structurally sound, as Riemonschreider said, it is not structurally sound enough to house families in apartments, Wymore and Bergman agreed. The second and third floors would need extra structural support and this would be less cost effective that demolishing.

“This is a value added activity for the community.” Bergman said. “It would be easier to start with a clean slate on an empty lot, but the school is an eyesore and this is one way of helping the mentally challenged and improving the area for everyone.”

When it comes to Glick School things get a bit touchy

The current value of GES is $11,000. Demolition is expected to cost $300,000 of which half would be attributed to asbestos removal. The city will pay up to $150,000 for demolition, but only if CA gets approval of grants for abatement.

Wymore is working on writing the grant for the asbestos removal. Other grant bodies are involved and CA has a consultant out of Nebraska who is helping writing grants of other potential funding.

The mayor and City Council voted unanimously on approving the project!

Commencement of the GES project is delayed waiting funding. The current owner of GES is a private businessman from Marshalltown, Mike McGrew. McGrew originally purchased the property with the intention of making it into apartments of renting to the general public. He discovered after the purchase that this was not going to be financially viable. Although he has tried to keep replacing the smashed windows, he has been fighting a losing battle and is now ready to sell the property on.

“No private building company is going to want to deal with it,” Bergman said.

Again the city confirmed GES is approved for demolishing, asbestos removal and re-building. The city had inadvertently implied CA already owned the property as opposed to the truth, which is that while CA has an option to buy on the property, McGrew cannot sell it to anyone else.

Bergman said they would only be able to exercise the option on the property if they are awarded funding from HUD and subsequent grants for abatement to include asbestos removal. If CA is unable to get the abatement grants, but does get the HUD award, they may have=e to build elsewhere. AS the grants are competitive it is impossible to predict what funding, if any, they will get.

“The likelihood of refurbishing the building is very low,” Bergman explained. The cost of demolition will be cheaper than renovating the building due to the structural load issues. Meeting codes would be problematic if it were to be used for apartments. However, the building could be fixed up, but the economics prevent it now and likely in the future.

“We only have 16 units currently available to mental health patients,” Bergman said. CA will form a separate corporation for the project, it is a value added service to the community. The Center will have nothing to do with rents and will only survey the building to make sure it is kept up, according to Bergman.

“This is a state-wide problem and not just a Marshall County problem for mentally ill people,” Wymore said, referring to the issue that there are not enough homes for the needy.