Old bus barn could be a community asset, or it could be “Honest Abe’s Used Cars and Quick Lube”

If you want to spend at least $250,000, you can own a sturdy 13,000 square foot building smack dab in a residential neighborhood.

At least a dozen people have kicked the tires on the Quincy Public School property at 20th and Hampshire (known as “The Bus Barn”) by touring and/or inquiring about the building, which sits vacant because the Quincy Public Schools outgrew it and it had become a bit cumbersome to the neighbors.

But the catch is that if you want to use it for something besides condos or apartments, it will require you to get a special use permit to allow you to do what you want with it.   

So now what?

At least one automotive repair-type business has looked at it and it would be good fit, since the facility was used for bus repairs for decades and it has ample on-site parking (just don’t park on the street). Heck, it even has the bays for oil changes and other under the carriage repairs in place.

Sounds boring though.

I have business owners tell me there is a need for warehouse space and that might be of use to some. There will be even more storage space inside once the offices are ripped out. They look like they were shoehorned in and Fixer Upper’s Chip Gaines with his sledgehammer could probably take them down in a weekend.

Again … meh.

One of my least favorite clichés is “think outside the box”. And when a taxing body “thinks outside the box”, it usually leads to consultants, studies and lots of money.

But in this case, maybe there is a way to do something more than just storage or another garage. I get QPS wanting this off their books before winter and paying a heating bill to make sure the pipes don’t freeze on a 13,000 square foot building.

Maybe some public-private partnerships could be explored, although it sounds like the horse is already out of the barn (pun intended) with an auction coming up on August 12 following this week’s open houses for other interested parties.

When the CYO gymnasium at 7th and Broadway was sold it eliminated a very usable practice gym for many parochial school teams. Its owner now just uses it primarily for storage. The sale of the former QPS buildings at Madison, Adams, Ellington and Dewey meant more gym space was gone.

And since the K&L Arena is now the home for the QPS Transportation and IT Departments and, eventually, the maintenance shop, that meant more court space was gone.

Maybe 20th and Hampshire could be converted into a working gym to be used for indoor soccer, basketball and volleyball? You know, what K&L Arena was on a smaller scale and in a more central and accessible location.

Again, I’m not suggesting QPS do this alone. After all, the conversion cost of the new transportation complex price tag ballooned to about $10 million. The public certainly doesn’t have the stomach for another one of those and I’m guessing the School Board read the room on that one.

Plus, the new K-5 schools probably all have HVAC units that will need replacing in the not to distant future (too soon?).

But couldn’t there at least be a discussion?

There’s still time.  One can only speculate whether someone will want to make an investment without City backing on a zoning change.  Moving to a negotiated sale contingent on that could be likely unless the zoning will be left unchanged. 

We already know test scores and attendance are a problem and a facility for youth, either athletics or afterschool programs, would be a perfect fit for the neighborhood. And they have a nice-sized parking lot.

Research supports the benefit for after school programs, something the community needs.  According to this research: “Afterschool programs can support social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development, reduce risky behaviors, promote physical health, and provide a safe and supportive environment for children and youth.”

Work with the QPS Foundation? The Community Foundation? Local philanthropists? The City? The County? I guess after the lack of unity among some taxing bodies on certain issues (ahem, Riverfront development) there might be less of a willingness to reach out.

And there are even grants available. If you don’t get them, some school in Chicago will and we all know how we wouldn’t want that! (sarcasm font)

Again, the City of Quincy has the final say on what can go there. It is in a neighborhood in the 4th Ward, where the aldermen do tend to lean toward the residents as we’ve seen with various developments on the south side of Broadway between 18th and 24th.

Might be some things to think about before the auctioneer yells “Sold!” on August 12 and the School Board finalizes a deal shortly thereafter.