Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of the proposed site for Liberty Academy of Columbus in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, May 4, 2023.
Leaders of a new “classical” school will soon return to the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals with another request on a proposed location.
The board’s next meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. May 23 in Columbus City Hall council chambers. According to city/county planning director Jeff Bergman, the agenda will include a variance request from Liberty Academy of Columbus to allow the K-7 school to be located at 101 National Road, which is currently zoned Industrial: Light.
School leaders shared in a recent newsletter that they have signed an intent to lease on a property that they hope to make into the school’s launch location.
“We see it as, again, a great launch site for us and a place where we can start to build and grow the vision that we have for Liberty,” said head of school Victor “JR” Huff.
The National Road property is outside of city limits and located on the east side of Columbus, Bergman said. According to the county’s GIS system, the Jerry and Sherrill Gehring Joint Trust purchased the 3.6-acre site for $515,000 from the J. Hartley Company, Inc. in April. According to The Republic’s records, the company constructed its facility at the site in 1976.
When asked about whether the school sees the property as a temporary or long-term location, Huff replied, “All I can really say definitively is that we are seeking a three-year lease with the property owner there on that site. So I think it has a lot of potential to meet our needs for launch, and we are working with a company locally to make those improvements to that site so that we can hit the ground running.”
Huff described the National Road facility as an all-steel building and a “clean slate” that they would be able to configure however they like. The school plans to do a full interior renovation and extend the drive around the building for one-way traffic during pick-up and drop-off. Liberty’s variance application also states that the building is “in need of repair.”
The property owner will also make some improvements, though Huff added that they don’t have all the details of the lease in place, since the school is in a “holding pattern” until they receive approval from the zoning board.
Liberty Academy previously applied for variances to locate the school in an office/warehouse building at 1460 Jackson St., which is located in the Industrial: General zoning district and within a special flood hazard area. The board of zoning appeals denied both requests in late February. According to Bergman, the board later approved a request from Trionic Human Performance to allow a fitness facility at the site.
Huff said he doesn’t believe the National Road site has as many challenges as the Jackson Street location, especially since it isn’t located in a floodplain.
“Ultimately, the variance requests falls on the shoulders of the Board of Zoning Appeals,” he added.
In Liberty’s latest application, school officials said that there will be “plenty of traffic stacking” on the National Road property to ensure that parents do not back up the highway during pick-up time.
Additionally, they wrote that, “The need for the variance arises from two factors that are peculiar to this property. First the limited amount of properties in Columbus suitable for a school site makes this location of particular interest. Secondly, the main structure on site has very low ceilings for an industrial structure, severely limiting its uses as zoned.”
According to Liberty’s latest newsletter, the school is set to open Aug. 9. As of May 4, Huff said there were about 30 students enrolled, as well as several applications in progress.
The school’s website states that while Liberty’s “ultimate goal” is to offer grades K-12, school officials expect to open with K-7 “in order to cultivate the culture necessary for a proper classical education.”
Huff said the school is in the process of hiring staff and had hired one teacher as of early May. They are also seeking accreditation from the Indiana Department of Education and expect to be accredited by early June. The school will then work to open a scholarship granting organization account with the Institute for Quality Education and prepare to participate in the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program.
