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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

New energy in Orr

Plans to repurpose former school building provide hope for the future

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The former Orr School could once again become the tiny community’s hub if a community group succeeds with its plans to turn the school into a community center and business incubator.

The group, which includes Wendy Purdy, Jeff Julkowski, Brian Wardas, Steve Koch and Todd Gabrielson, plans to buy the school from the city for $15,000 and revitalize the structure. Admittedly, the group faces some large obstacles. The coal-fired boilers are no longer useable after being out of commission for several years and a new heating system will need to be installed, and there are other repairs that will need to be made throughout the structure to remodel it for new uses.

But Orr has responded to big challenges in the past and we’ve no doubt the community will rally behind this cause that could not only restore a community center, but also could bring more jobs to Orr.

And there’s evidence that it can work, from the former Cotton School, where community members took a similar approach.

Renamed Old School Lives, the facility serves as home to a handful of businesses, including a coffee shop, hair salon, and art exchange gift shop. It also runs a fitness center with modest membership fees, helping pay the bills to keep the lights and heat on, and rents space for other ventures including an apprenticeship program by the Allied Bricklayer Union.

Old School Lives Executive Director Ginger Kinsley credits donations and volunteer aid by community members as critical to the success of the venture, and that, too, will play a critical role in whether Orr can convert its school to other uses.

The St. Louis County School District, which sold the school to the city, should also help by scheduling some Community Education classes at the site once it has been refurbished. After all, it’s in the district’s best interests to see Orr survive and grow. More opportunities and jobs in Orr mean an increase in enrollment for the North Woods School.

While we applaud the group, which has named itself the Orr Recreation and Resource Center Inc., for taking the initiative in seeking a new life for the school, we also want to recognize the city of Orr for preserving a valued community resource. Thanks to the Orr City Council’s efforts, the school remained standing and some of its equipment, left behind by the district, was either reutilized or sold by the city. For instance, shelves and books left in the school library were rescued and used to create a small public library in the former Orr City Hall.

Orr has struggled since the closing of its beloved school, which has eroded some of the traffic that once kept businesses afloat in the community. The loss of water and sewer services to the school also hit the city hard. And make no mistake, the loss of the school robbed Orr of some of its identity.

Hopefully, that sense of community can be restored and strengthened by finding a new purpose for the former school building. Bringing back the gymnasium, which served not only as a site for athletic games but also as a stage for plays, craft fairs and children’s events, will be a big step forward in that goal. Meanwhile, the potential for the school to become a place for small businesses to get their start and grow could help revive the local economy.

There are plenty of obstacles that will need to be overcome to turn the group’s dream into reality. But with the community’s support and encouragement, there’s a chance at success. We wish them well.