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Cruiser Academy gets a new home
(by Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor - June 16, 2010)
Groveport Madison Local Schools' Cruiser Academy will have a new home.
Groveport Madison originally hoped to lease approximately 24,350 square feet of office space for classroom use in the former Sofa Express warehouse, located at 4600 S. Hamilton Road, for five years at an annual average cost not to exceed $175,000.
However, the district had to look elsewhere for a home for the academy following a 3-2 vote rejecting the zoning variance request by the village of Groveport's Planning and Zoning Commission on June 7. Commission members Mayor Lance Westcamp, Brent Fridley, and Bruce Boyer, voted against the variance while Pat Pickett and Village Councilwoman Jean Ann Hilbert supported it.
"Unfortunately (at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting) the demising wall between the office space for our operations and the balance of the building was raised as an issue," said Groveport Madison Superintendent Scott McKenzie.
Groveport Village Administrator Steve Morris said safety issues were a cause for concern as well as the lack of a traffic study for the property. The zoning variance request could still be considered by Groveport Village Council, but McKenzie said that would not give the district enough time to open Cruiser Academy in time for the coming school year.
New site located
With the zoning rejection, the school district looked for a new site for the Cruiser Academy and found it at 2757 Winchester Pike in the Berwick Shopping Center.
According to Groveport Madison Business Manager Larry Ricchi, the plan is to open the academy for the 2010-11 school year at the new site, which features two spaces - one with 10,000 square feet and the other with 4,000 square feet. The building is owned by Casto, Inc.
"We would have an initial five year lease period and options for five years after that," said Ricchi.
Information on the cost of the lease and the costs to set up the academy are not yet available.
McKenzie described the new site as an "almost ideal location" because it neighbors Kaplan College, a two year post secondary school that offers associate degrees in allied health, criminal justice, and information technology. He said district officials plan to meet with Kaplan representatives to see what they have to potentially offer to Cruiser Academy students.
"We are excited about that possibility," said McKenzie.
About Cruiser Academy
The Cruiser Academy is a conversion community school that helps high school students with: course completion as stated by the Ohio Department of Education; Ohio Graduation Test preparation and assessment; career-based skill development; and support to students who want to continue education on a collegial level. It is similar to the Credit Achievement Program (CAP) option available now for high school students. This year CAP provides a wide assortment of online classes for students 16-21 years old. CAP students complete courses in order to meet graduation requirements.
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