The Board of Education on Tuesday evening approved a memorandum of understanding during its regular meeting at Fairmont High School.
“This project represents everything we strive for in Kettering — preserving our heritage, working together with the schools and other community partners, all while fostering innovation and economic growth," said Kettering City Manager Matt Greeson.
COhatch offers shared workspaces, private offices, meeting rooms, event spaces and more. It operates in several other Ohio cities, including Springfield, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.
“This is the kind of story every community wants — saving a historic building, preserving its legacy and turning it into something new and meaningful for the next generation," said Matt Davis, COhatch CEO and co-founder.
Built in 1929 as the district’s first high school, the Barnes building later served as a junior high before the district consolidated in the 1980s. For decades it housed the district’s central office before the administration moved to Lincoln Park Drive in 2019.
The foundation had expressed interest in salvaging Barnes after the school board voted in late 2022 to demolish the building rather than use tax dollars on extensive repairs and renovations.
The collaboration announced Tuesday did not include financial details.
However, a plan presented to the board in 2023 by Ruetschle Architects indicated preserving the building’s shell was projected to cost $4.75 million, and renovating the first floor and part of the second level was estimated to cost $11.24 million.
Barnes will once again become the district’s home with refreshed and rejuvenated administrative offices at no cost to school district taxpayers, said Rick Schwartz, Schiewetz Foundation president, and Amy Kress, the foundation’s grant manager, in a joint statement.
The project will allow the district to retain ownership and oversight of the Barnes building as well as its programming and usage.
“The Kettering City School District extends its profound gratitude to the Schiewetz Foundation for its broad-minded outlook, exceptional generosity and unwavering commitment to the preservation of the Barnes building,” said board President Mark Martin.
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