NORTHAMPTON — After a decade of leasing the Feiker School, the Nonotuck Community School has purchased the building from the city.
A formal closing of the $291,100 purchase took place April 21. The city plans to use the money from the sale, combined with $124,167 remaining in the now-closed Fieker School Rental Revolving Fund, to finance major roof replacements at Leeds and Bridge Street elementary schools.
The former elementary school building at 221 Riverside Drive was built in 1900 and named after former Mayor William H. Feiker.
It served as a neighborhood elementary school until the 1970s. In 2005, Nonotuck Community School, a nonprofit early education provider, began leasing the one-story, 7,093-square-foot space.
The school’s current lease with the city was due to expire in 2019 and there was no option to renew. Nonotuck said the choice was either buy the building or close the doors.
“Losing our lease from the City of Northampton was quite a blow and we knew it would be almost impossible to find a new location in a short period of time. And we love this building!” Nonotuck’s Executive Director Leslie Klein Pilder said in an email Monday.
She said the school has received a loan from the Cooperative Fund of New England to buy the building.
The school also has an ongoing capital campaign. Pilder said Nonotuck is looking for $50,000 to help fund the purchase. So far $25,000 has been raised, Pilder said, and they hope to reach the goal by June 30.
Children have also been bringing in their piggy banks and coin collections to fill a giant piggy bank. Pilder said the brokerage firm Gage-Wiley & Co. has agreed to do a limited matching fund of what was collected.
Pilder said buying the building was the only option.
“Parents want to be able to continue to walk or ride bikes to school and were heartbroken about losing that option,” Pilder said. “And we knew that without Nontuck, there would be a shortage of childcare available to local families.”
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.