In a crowded meeting in Ingleside on Tuesday night, the neighborhood got to hear the plans for the Alexander IV elementary school directly from the developer.
The historic Alexander IV Elementary School is getting a new purpose and the crowd was told the plan.
“I played all the sports and things like that, and that was a big part, we had cheerleaders, all kinds of stuff. Square dancing in this hall here and things like that. It's just a wonderful place,” said Mickey Rivers.
Mickey and his wife Marilee went to the school in the late 1940s and early 50s.
The couple heard the Dover Development Corporation announce they are turning the school into a senior living facility and adding on an additional wing.
It will have 60 rooms for individual, assisted, and memory-care living. The Corporation said capacity will be around 75-80 people.
For the Rivers, it was just nice to hear that the school will have a purpose again.
“It'll be fantastic, absolutely, I mean an old structure like this you need to save and do the best you can with it and most of them turn out wonderful,” said Mickey, while Marilee nodded in approval.
The Corporation says they have done this successfully before.
This is the 4th historic school they plan to change into a senior living center and the 8th historic building they’ve renovated. They said the other projects have been successful and are hopeful this one is as well.
While the details and designs are not finalized, the general manager says it'll be an 8.8-million-dollar capital investment into the project and so far he appreciates the community involvement.
“Because the community and the public will be welcome here once the building is open. We want to make sure that we get it right, we tell the authentic story, we preserve the building, and the Alexander IV is a great opportunity. We're so grateful to be chosen to be the redeveloper,” explained Rick Dover, the Dover Development Corporation’s general manager.
The project is expected to bring 30 full-time jobs to the area. Specific numbers on the rent at the new facility were not available.
Dover says the finished building will have 12-13 individual rooms, 30 for assisted living, and around 18 for seniors needing memory-care.
The front of the building will become a park and Dover says they plan to keep a majority of the trees. He also said they want to complete a historically accurate restoration to the original architecture and design while also bringing in the most up-to-date technology for the inside living areas.
The corporation plans to continue getting input from the public and finalize designs soon, so the project can start construction.
It is expected to be completed before the end of 2018.