Summit Hill District 161 Leases Mary Drew School Space To Church

Summit Hill School District 161 board members approved a contract Tuesday night to rent several classrooms at Mary Drew School in Frankfort Square to Cornerstone Church.

“We’ve been working with the church to rent some space and decided to not make them wait another week,” said school board president Mary Kenny.

READ: How Much Money Will be Saved From Closing Mary Drew?

The school was shuttered at the end of the school year in June because of dwindling enrollment and to help the district cut its deficit.

Church pastor Arvid Svendsen said the church would use two classrooms for office space for church staffers and then make use of other classrooms and the school gym as needed for classes and activities.

“Most of our activities during the week take place on Tuesday and Wednesday,” Svendsen said.

READ: Check Out Patch's Section on the Closing of Mary Drew School

Cornerstone is an independent Christian church with about 200 members, Svendsen said.

Cornerstone was founded in 2003 and has conducted Sunday services at Lincoln-Way Central High School in New Lenox for the past nine years, Svendsen said. In that same time, the church has leased office space in a number of places.

“For the past two years, we rented space from Living Hope Lutheran Church in Frankfort, but that building was sold recently,” Svendsen said.

“They are not taking very much of the building, so we still have lots of space available for lease,” said Kenny.

The contract will bring in $18,400 for the district and it will run from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, said district Supt. Barb Rains.

“It can be extended for a second year, if both parties agree,” she said.

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