The Keokuk School District has signed an agreement to purchase a couple buildings for its preschool programs and offices.
The program has been operating from the district’s Torrence School building at 1721 Fulton Street.
Superintendent Kathy Dinger said the building is 99 years old and has outlived its usefulness.
“Because of the infrastructure, it's hard to update and add HVAC and make wiring improvements,” Dinger said. “The exterior has begun to deteriorate as well.”
The building holds four half-day programs and one full-day program with about 20 students per class. But the second floor is used only for storage because state fire codes prohibit it from being used for classes.
The new buildings are across the street from Torrence at 400 and 420 N. 17th St. The property was owned and occupied by a medical provider.
“We're just beyond thrilled that we'll be able to offer expanded pre-K programming in a safe and updated building and expand opportunities for parents and kids,” Dinger said.
The superintendent said the district hopes to close on the purchase by Oct. 31.
She said the district would then hire an architectural firm to prepare the buildings for the preschool program.
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