A more than 110-year-old former school building that became a dumping ground for garbage and a target for vandals, will be razed.
Rock River School closed in 2004 after 93 years of operation as a school. Rockford Public Schools sold it in 2005 to folks who wanted to run a job training program there. But the program didn’t last long and the building on Kishwaukee Street became a vacant eyesore.
It was twice the scene of suspicious fires in 2008 and 2009.
According to the city, the building came under the control of the Winnebago County Trustee because of unpaid property taxes.
Under a new agreement approved Monday by Rockford City Council, Loves Park-based N-TRAK Group LLC, will acquire the property at 2729 Kishwaukee St. in exchange for demolishing the building.
“The city receives numerous complaints and calls for service about this property for trespassers, vandalism, fire calls along with a history of illegal dumping behind the building,” Rockford City Administrator Todd Cagnoni stated in a memo.