09/11/2026
A glimmer of of hope!
UPDATE — I’M OPTIMISTIC ABOUT A PATH FORWARD
First, I want to sincerely thank everyone who shared my original post, commented, reached out, made phone calls, offered advice, or simply let me know that you support what we're trying to do with the former Doling Elementary School.
This has been a difficult and frustrating process at times, and that support truly means a lot to me. This building has been part of Springfield for more than a century, and seeing how many people care about what happens to it has been incredibly encouraging.
I also want to specifically thank Becky for reaching out and offering her support, and I appreciate the City Manager’s Office for contacting me directly and expressing a willingness to help us work through this and find a reasonable path forward. I am encouraged by those conversations.
So why am I optimistic?
• We're going back to the building's history. The starting point will be establishing the lawful historical use and occupancy of the building and its individual spaces rather than beginning with what someone might want to do with the property in the future.
• There is a process for existing buildings. We intend to work through that process and have the existing use and occupancy properly evaluated and documented.
• I haven't fundamentally changed this building. The overwhelming majority of the work has been repairing, restoring, maintaining, and improving what was already here.
• We can take this one area at a time. We don't need to solve every issue in an approximately 40,000-square-foot, 110-year-old building all at once.
• The Assembly Hall will be our first priority. Establish its lawful use and occupant load, determine what specific requirements actually apply, address legitimate life-safety issues, and get that portion of the building across the finish line.
• Safety and preservation can work together. I have never asked the City to ignore legitimate fire, life-safety, accessibility, or building-code requirements. I simply want those requirements applied based upon the building's actual history, existing condition, and applicable code.
• Most importantly, we're communicating. Having people within the community and City government willing to listen, communicate, look at the history, and work toward a solution gives me reason to believe we can get there.
My goal isn't to fight City Hall. My goal is to work with the City to find a lawful, safe, and financially realistic solution that preserves this historic building and allows it to continue serving Springfield.
There is still work ahead, and I'm sure there will be challenges. But today I feel much better about where this is headed.
And again, thank you. Whether you shared the post, commented, reached out privately, offered advice, or simply told me to keep going—it mattered.
I appreciate you.
