This story is excerpted from Helena This Week, a weekly newsletter covering Helena city government, public school meetings, business news, and upcoming entertainment and events.
Helena school officials are considering turning the former Hawthorne Elementary into a neighborhood community center. At a recent school board meeting, Superintendent Rex Weltz reported on the district’s proposals for repurposing both Hawthorne and the May Butler building.
Over the past two months, only one proposal was received for Hawthorne, outlining a plan for a “multi-purpose” center at the Madison Avenue location. This proposal could lead to a long-term lease.
“We’re a little excited about this,” Weltz shared at the meeting.
The proposed Hawthorne Community Center Helena would be managed by a nonprofit and offer community spaces, much like Bozeman’s Emerson Center for Arts and Culture, according to Weltz.
“It’s an arts place, it’s an office space, it’s for ballet, whatever,” Weltz described. “It’s a community-use area which I think is highly valuable.”
The district has not released the proposal or applicant details while it is under review. Weltz mentioned that district lawyers would first review the proposal before the facilities department presents a recommendation to the board.
“I’m excited that we’re not going to sit on a building that’s going to sit there and be dormant,” Weltz said. “We want activity, and we want liveliness in the neighborhood.”
Hawthorne Elementary was closed last June due to declining enrollment and costly maintenance needs, estimated at $4.6 million. Similarly, the May Butler building was also closed, with no proposals received by this month’s deadline. In 2024, officials turned down two proposals to use it as a homeless shelter.
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