Former school building targeted for the wrecking ball

Vagrants have cropped up at a former school building in Seneca, and the city administrator’s idea to demolish the building received endorsement this morning from a city council committee. Scott Moulder, city administrator, said he’s concerned about vagrants, spray paint, and broken windows at the former Kellett Elementary School in the area of Adams subdivision. The building is the property of the city. The city council committee recommends the building for demolition and for Moulder to seek outside grants to pay for the costs. Those costs, without anything added for hazardous materials, could reach as high as $250 thousand. Moulder has received an estimate from one contractor who would do a “tear down, chip up, and haul off. That’s a turnkey,” he said. As for what would be done with the property, Moulder says some neighborhood representatives would like to see recreation use. Moulder’s idea is for greenery and passive recreation use such as practice fields for recreation department teams. In the past, ideas to convert the building and property to either a utility complex or an assisted living facility met neighborhood opposition.