Adams Coliseum Deal

VINCENNES, IND. (WTHI) - A southern Indiana school system is on the verge of cutting a deal that will keep an historic building open and part of the community.

The Vincennes School system is scheduled to consider a 99 year lease of the old Adams Coliseum to a local not-for-profit organization.

The plan appears to be the final piece in a puzzle that will eventually have the school system shedding 4 surplus buildings.

Earlier this year the Vincennes School Board sold the old Washington Elementary to a church.

Made an agreement with a local architectural firm for the old vacant Administration Building and the empty former Clark Middle School.

Now, it appears the final building, the historic Adams Coliseum will be taken over by the Vincennes Education Foundation.

"Of course the Alices played basketball there until the school moved out there to its new location in 1988, but it was still in use for Clark Middle School," said Pat Hutchison with the Vincennes Education Foundation. "We cannot take a bulldozer to Adams Coliseum."

Adams Coliseum may hold a lot of memories in the community, but it is still a very old building that's in need of work.

The Education Foundation is not going to have to spend a lot of money to get it up to speed.

That's because part of the deal with the sale of the old Clark Middle School is that its new owners will spend about $2-million upgrading the Coliseum.

"They're going to work on grants and take it back to its original condition with new air-conditioning, new roof, put in a kitchen area in the back," said Hutchison.

The upgrades should allow the foundation to rent the Coliseum out for enough events to pay for regular maintenance and utilities for years to come and keep the aging building as a place for new memories in this community.

The Vincennes School Board is expected to vote on the proposal at its meeting Monday night.