CARBONDALE, IL (WSIL) -- Gigi Thompson bought a house near the old Carbondale Community High School and turned it into a rental property. But she almost didn't because of the condition of the old CCHS building.
“It's a huge safety issue for the neighbors and the people going in there,� said Thompson. “People have invested in these properties.�
The city is now deciding what to do with the building and for Thompson and others who are trying to make Carbondale a better place to live, she believes something should be done to the building.
“A lot of us are trying to repair them and restore them and raise families here,� said Thompson. “The people moving into this house have a young child so we'd like it to be a beautiful safe place to be and it could be.�
Thompson makes no hesitation when it comes to what she thinks should be done to the building.
“Oh yeah, tear it down,� Thompson said. “Sadly, tear it down. [Tragically] they let it go. There's so much that could have happened with it.�
Thompson says one of the reasons she purchased the home near the school was because of rumors the city was planning to remove the building.
“We heard it was going to be made into a park and we got very excited about that because we just purchased this other property,� she said.
No decision has been made about what to do with the property. It's currently owned by a dissolved not-for-profit organization, whose owner resides in Bolivia.
But as much of an eye sore the property is now Thompson says she can see great potential for what it could be in the future.
“You could have a walking path through there,� said Thompson. “You could have a neighborhood garden that people could tend to. Just a safe place for people.�
In addition to structural damage, the city also says it's having challenges dealing with people breaking in and living in the building.
“It's been broken into,� said Thompson. “There are broken windows. We've been told it's been gutted. There's mold and then there are squatters, so there are people who have great need who are hanging around here because they can get in at night and have a safe place.�
And if Thompson could suggest what to do with it, she wouldn't hesitate in deciding what to do with it.
“Parks always attract more people,� she said. “They bring safety. If it were a park then people would come to it.�
And when it comes to the potential she sees Carbondale could be, Thompson would like to see more done to support those trying to make a difference.
"The potential that's here in Carbondale, it's not being utilized,� Thompson stressed. “There are a lot of really good people here who want to make it better and those people need to be supported."
