GREAT BEND, New York (WWNY) – After more than half a century, the Carthage Central School District has decided to part ways with the old Great Bend Elementary School.
“Needs a lot of repairs. The upkeep was extensive. So the decision was made that through this current capital project, it was time to close the building and put it on the market for sale,” said Jennifer Primo, district superintendent.
For the past few years, the building held little more than administrative offices and alternative learning classrooms.
“It’s always sad for a district to lose a building that’s been a part of our school district for a number of years,” said Primo.
The deal on the building isn’t finalized. When it is, work will start on apartments. The school building is close to Fort Drum.
“So our target would be to soldiers. We will rent to anybody but our target market for this would be soldiers,” said Micah Matteson, property manager.
Inside the school, instructions line the walls as classrooms get ready to become bedrooms.
Right now the plan isn’t to demolish the building but retrofit it. Classrooms, offices, and the gym will be converted into 18 separate apartments over the course of 9 months.
“Most of the units are gonna have all utilities included. So there’s going to be a higher price because we’re including all utilities for the project,” said Matteson.
According to Matteson, that price will range from $900 to $1,200 per month depending on the size of the apartment. Once the deal is finalized, a few of the apartments are expected to be ready in 3 months.
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