SPRING VALLEY – The old Spring Valley Elementary School demolition progress was put on hold in early September for issues with the Department of Natural Resources and the possibility of historical status for the building.

However, the school district can now resume the demolition process after Sen. Jeff Smith and his team helped facilitate a conversation between the DNR and the State Office of Historic Preservation.

“Sen. Smith’s team saved us approximately one month of time and a minimum of $7,000,” said Superintendent John Groh.

Demolition has resumed and should be complete by early November. Emmaus Church originally bought part of the property before demolition started and now that the process has continued, the church can continue with their renovating and construction process.

“The other main reason for continuing the demolition is that Emmaus Church is turning these grounds into a worship/community center,” Groh said. “The longer the delay, the more it could cost them. We are excited to see this site become a community resource once again.”

After reviews and permits were fast tracked and completed, it reduced a safety risk the building poses to community members in its current state.

“Once those two entities talked and were able to see pictures of the current state of the building, the permit was approved almost immediately. Basically, everyone involved could see that in this particular case, it made no sense to continue to hold up the project. This was important to me because the building poses a safety risk to the community in its present state,” said Groh.

The district started the historic review process with a company, but immediately put the review on hold when Smith’s team offered help; the process moved quickly and efficiently, saving money for many groups involved.

Demolition started up again Thursday, Sept. 30 and will consistently continue throughout October. More details are available on the district’s Facebook page.