SOUTH TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – A lengthy, and at times controversial, battle over the future of Libbey High School is nearing an end. The school will be coming down in just a few days and contractors are already moving into place. Monday is the planned day for demolition.
Libbey High School now is just a shell of what it once was before closing in 2010. Toledo Public Schools closed the high school because of low enrollment. District leaders said they cannot afford to maintain a vacant building during extremely tough financial times.
A bulldozer and dump truck are already in place ahead of Monday's start. Demolition was slated to begin last week but was pushed back due to delays in shutting off utilities at the site.
Now the total cost of demolition is $1.5 million. The state of Ohio will cover 77 percent of the cost, despite an end of the year deadline for demolition, since it considers abatement part of the demolition process. Abatement and asbestos removal began in August after the TPS were unable to find any buyers for the building.
A Save Libbey campaign was unsuccessful in keeping the building standing, despite its placement on the National Register of Historic Places in September.
"I think Libbey was a grand building but because of our financial situation we had to make the decision to demolish Libbey, to close the school and demolish it. So I have real mixed feelings about that," said TPS School Board President Bob Vasquez.
Demolition is expected to take about three months and should be completed by mid-April. After that, the land will be converted into a green space.
