Judy Kawa remembers when she went to ham-and-bean suppers at Belknap School.
Now, that building is set to become her office.
At Tuesday night’s Johnston Planning Board meeting, Mayor Joseph Polisena announced the Belknap School – which dates back to 1892 – will become the Johnston Land Trust office, and presented Kawa with the building’s keys.
Polisena told the Planning Board that about a month ago he received a telephone call from Dan Brown, vice president of the Johnston Historical Society, who said the non-profit was no longer using the building on Greenville Avenue and his group wanted to give it back to the town.
“I agreed to take it back in the town’s possession,” Polisena said. “And while I was talking to Dan, the wheels started to turn on who would best get use for their organization. I immediately thought of the Johnston Land Trust and the hard work they do under the leadership of Judy … their mission being to ensure that land is preserved in our great town to be used for active and passive use.”
The mayor then spoke about two years ago, when the Land Trust successfully lobbied Johnston voters behind a $1 million bond for open space. He said he has spoken with the members of the Town Council, and they are supportive of providing the Belknap School for the group’s use.
“All five council members agreed without hesitation,” he said. “We all agreed that the Johnston Land Trust deserves a place to call home, and the Belknap School is the perfect place.”
Polisena said the Planning Board will have a special meeting in two weeks for consideration of the plan. From there, it would head to the Town Council. Polisena said once it was on his desk, he’d sign it immediately.
“I do believe that Johnston will be one of the few communities that has a Land Trust office with such a precious piece of property that will also be its home,” the mayor noted. “Hey, even the few town malcontents have to agree this is great for the Johnston of today and the Johnston of the future.”
The mayor also told the Planning Board that if the Land Trust decides it does not need the building, it will be reverted back to the town and will not be used for commercial development.
After addressing the Planning Board, Polisena met with Kawa and members of the Land Trust board – as well as Johnston Historical Society president Lou McGowan and vice president Dan Brown – about immediate issues concerning the transformation of the Belknap School into the Land Trust office.
The group – which includes Kawa, Anthony Pilozzi, Vilma Zanni, Patricia Colardo, Walter Crocker, Alexandra Capron, and John Laurito – will work alongside the society during the process.
About the
Belknap School
The current Belknap School building, located on Greenville Avenue in the village of Belknap, stands on the site of an earlier structure that was reportedly the oldest school building in Johnston.
It was a subscriber school, which meant that only people who paid for the school and its upkeep could send their children there. Gradually, things changed and free education for all became the norm in Rhode Island. In the 1790s, Belknap became a local public school.
By 1892, though, the school was sadly in need of replacement, and the present building was constructed that year. The school opened in 1893, and it served the little village – Johnston School District #8 – until 1941 as a one-room school.
After the school closed, the building served as a village center and then was deeded to the local American Legion post to be used as their meeting hall. By the time the 21st century rolled around, the building had seen better days. The town deeded the old school to the Johnston Historical Society, which sought funding to restore the building.
A generous gift from the Champlin Foundations allowed the historical society to complete a restoration of the exterior in 2004. From the outside, the building looks just as it did when it opened in 1892. The interior of the building was restored thanks to the Rhode Island Preservation Grant. In 2010, the project was award a Rhody Award, a statewide preservation award.
Louis McGowan, president of the Johnston Historical Association, provided information for this report.
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aricci
Ironic the land trust office will be right near the new Citizens Bank Headquarters which is destroying the towns best open space forests and the nicest residential area. Will the open space bond funds be used to pay for the heat, electricity, and extensive upkeep for the historic school building? Perhaps emperor Polisena should ask for the taxpayers input instead of just insulting anyone with a rational view.
Thursday, April 7, 2016 Report this