The Danville Heritage Association (DHA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which formed as a community enrichment committee in the fall of 2022 to explore preservation of the Danville Intermediate School building for use as a center for community activities, cultural enrichment, and local business development.
The Intermediate building, constructed in 1944, currently houses the Danville Local School District administrative offices that are being moved in the Fall 2024. The District had previously listed the building for demolition in order to make way for additional parking. This was proposed through a school levy planning evaluation. However public input resulted in these plans being removed from the proposed levy.
A 2022 survey poll conducted by DHA showed that over 85% of respondents favored preservation and repurposing the building for the benefit of the community. A structural inspection of the building was commissioned which found it to be fundamentally sound and well worthy of preservation. In addition, an architectural code review study shows that the improvements needed to meet compliance are well within the reach of community fundraising capacity.
In 2023, the Danville School Board voted to not lease the entire Danville Intermediate School Building to the DHA.
In March of 2024, DHA proposed that the Danville School Board, in cooperation with DHA, invoke Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.76** that allows the school district to use all or part of the Danville Intermediate School Building as a community “social center(s) for the entertainment and education of the people” . The Danville School Board ignored the proposal saying that they had already decided not to lease the building.
In September 2024, the Danville School Board, in a motion proposed by school superintendent Jason Snively, voted 3 to 2 to demolish the building.
