Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.The fortresslike, 1920s-era brick school on the west side of Shelby, Iowa, could have a new lease on life with its pending purchase by a Kansas City, Mo., developer.
Details are still being worked out, but a property management company that restores old buildings is in the process of buying the three-story structure to turn it into apartments.
The developer — Foutch Brothers, founded by Woodbine, Iowa, native Steve Foutch — sees a market in Shelby, which is located just off Interstate 80 in southern Shelby County. The town of about 640 boasts a Menards distribution center on the south side of town, yet has little housing for employees, many of whom commute from the Omaha area.
"The main thing was Menards," Steve Foutch said. "You got 600 employees who are a mile south of the building, and there is no (available) housing around it, so you are bound to pick up some people who are tired of driving from Council Bluffs."
The building's future looks considerably brighter than it did earlier this year. It was closed as a school in 2005 and later was purchased by a local nonprofit, the Grandparents Gifts Foundation.
The group, spurred by a mix of community pride, sentiment and concern for Shelby's future, sank an estimated $110,000 into the building to save it, replacing the old roof.
"We could not see the wrecking ball take this school down. It was just not something we were willing to do. We didn't know how we were going to do it. We just had to find a way," said Peg McCool, a director of Grandparents Gifts. "The building was just too good."
Grandparents Gifts, which McCool said is being paid $50,000 for the building, plans to use the money to open a new museum in downtown Shelby dedicated to local history.
The U.S. Census Bureau says Shelby County's population fell about 7 percent over the past decade. Foutch acknowledged the population trend, but said the presence of the Menards facility made the difference: "If Menards wasn't here, we probably would not be doing it."
Foutch expects to convert the school into 34 apartments, mostly one- and two-bedroom units. The original school gym will be converted into two-story town house apartments. The 1970s gym addition to the south will have a day care center, a fitness center and a community room. The basketball court will likely be converted into an indoor soccer facility.
Renamed the Shelby Lofts, it is expected to open in late 2012 or early 2013.
"Anywhere you go in any town you are going to find a basketball court . but you are not going to find any indoor soccer facilities," Foutch said. "We just saw that as an opportunity to create something very unique in southwest Iowa."
Foutch has been joined in the business by his two brothers. Shawn Foutch of Johnston handles properties in Iowa and will oversee the Shelby Lofts.
The company has done most of its work in Missouri and Kansas. It has restored about a dozen old schools, including one in Fairbury, Neb.
"Obviously, growing up in that area, we feel a strong urge to give something back," said Steve Foutch, whose parents still live in Woodbine. "We know the people. We've got the contacts, and after doing a lot of work in Kansas and Missouri, I miss Iowa."
There are a number of reasons why the bulk of the Foutch Brothers' business is restoring old buildings, including that the buildings "have a lot of character," are solidly built and take a bit of ingenuity to remake for modern needs.
"I really hope they save them before they start tearing them down," he said.
McCool said redeveloping the school could be an important step toward spurring the town to grow again. Many Menards workers stop in for meals at the Corn Crib, the restaurant and convenience store she and her husband operate. They ask about places to live nearby, but nothing is available, she said.
"This is the little boost that Shelby has needed," she said of the new housing. "We're hoping we get so many people in here, somebody will have to start a grocery store .
"There's no end to what could happen," McCool said. "It's definitely good for the town."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1310, andrew.nelson@owh.com
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