Come August, the Allen Central Elementary building will be no more.

The building, part of the Genoa Local School District, will be torn down sometime between mid-July and August, according to Dennis Mock, superintendent.

The school board last week approved the demolition contract during a meeting. Crews from D & R Enterprises, Genoa, will raze the building for $109,000.

Prior to the building’s demolition, however, the district must have all asbestos particles removed from the structure. The abatement work will be done by Environmental Assurance Co., Toledo, for $194,680.

“That work is required so the asbestos does not go into the landfill,” Mock explained.

Asbestos removal will begin after the end of the school year and will take about four to five weeks to complete, he said.

The destruction of the aging building happens just as educators and administrators ready to move into new digs – the multi-million dollar Genoa Elementary School under final construction on the main school campus on Genoa-Clay Center Road.

The 80,246-square-foot building will serve slightly less than 700 students at the start of the 2011-12 school year. There are five classrooms per grade level, except for kindergarten, which will have six classrooms.

The school features two music studios and one art studio and will utilize a state-of-the art geothermal heating and cooling system.

The addition of the elementary building unifies all the district buildings on one campus.

Kindergarteners through fifth grade were previously housed in the Allen Central building located in Allen Township and Brunner Elementary located in Genoa.

The school board decided to tear down Allen Central because its structural problems are so extreme, school officials said previously.

They are attempting to sell Brunner Elementary as well as eight surrounding acres.

The Ohio Schools Facilities Commission recently approved Genoa officials’ request for an extension on the final decision of what to do with the Brunner building. Essentially, the commission is  allowing them more time to look for a buyer, Mock said. The other options are raze the building or maintain it by boarding it up.

The 12 acres where Allen Central stands will be donated to Allen Township for a park. Seven acres and playing fields near Brunner Elementary will be given to the Village of Genoa.

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