After being forced out of 3 S. Washington due to state inspection issues, Oxford Community Schools has decided to cut future operations at 5 S. Washington as well.
The plan back in April, according to Superintendent Dr. William Skilling, was for the Oxford Virtual Academy (OVA) schooling operations to find a new home outside of town and for OVA office staff, along with the Beijing Channel Consulting International Education Group (BCC), to be housed at 5. S Washington.
However,- those plans have changed.
‘BCC is looking for a new location (separate from OVA operations and) OVA is looking to relocate outside of the downtown area,? said Linda Lewis, communications coordinator for Oxford Schools. ‘The reason we are not using 5 South for the OVA offices is because staff needs to be with the students.?
Skilling said they are currently working on closing on a space that will be ‘beneficial for them and to the neighbors? in the OxfordMarketplace shopping center.
‘We found a location we think will work well to put everybody (OVA school and OVA office staff) in the same facility,? he said. ‘That’s what we were really trying to get at.?
The schools were originally locked into three-year lease agreements until 2015 for both 3 and 5 S. Washington buildings. Lewis said they terminated their lease for 5. S. Washington with no cost to the district, but found a tenant to take the space and found another tenant to take over the $1,800 a month lease for 3 S. Washington.
‘The new tenant for 3 S. Washington is Suzanne Saylor, who will be opening the ‘Kindred Spirits Quilt Shoppe,?? Lewis said . ‘Susan Oles will be opening ‘Boutique on the Boulevard,? a consignment shop, at 5 S. Washington.?
‘We’re happy to have retail go back into the downtown area,? Skilling added ‘I think that’s probably some of the good news and positive change. It will be good for the downtown area.?