Northeast News
February 19, 2014

Thacher Elementary School will take the spotlight this Saturday as a rally will take place on the school”s site in an attempt to draw attention to saving the historic edifice that housed thousands of Northeast elementary school students over its tenured history.

This newsdog is on board with the fight and thinks the district should grant title of the building to an area non-profit so it can be properly moth-balled and re-purposed in to a viable, tax producing property. Sadly, however, those best laid plans don’t fit the district’s agenda for green-space in the form of athletic fields and expanded parking for the newly rechartered Northeast Middle School. When it comes to decaying buildings in neighborhoods, the district’s track record is less than stellar and Thacher is living proof of that. The scene is repeated in neighborhoods throughout Kansas City’s urban core.

While this Save Thacher group is coming a bit late to the party, they’re putting some pretty strong ideas on the table for the building’s adaptive re-use, ideas that the district and area developers need to study carefully. Here’s hoping that renewed energy and this Saturday’s rally will catch the eye of a heavyweight, celebrity or otherwise, that will take the project on.

Independence Avenue doesn’t need any more empty buildings and Thacher’s prominent location is perfect for some market rate senior housing or an urban core small business incubator. This crafty news canine says, if you’re down for the fight, brush up your sign painting skills and come out Saturday morning in support.