There are plans afooting to merge Ohio School for the Deaf and the nearby Ohio State School for the Blind in the near future if state and school officials work out some deals and agree to it.

Schools for deaf, blind may share new campus

Excerpt:

Deaf students and blind ones will share a campus if state and school officials can work out a $40 million plan to create a modern complex for the Ohio State School for the Blind and the Ohio School for the Deaf.

Preliminary plans call for the combined campus to be built on the School for the Deaf’s 138-acre property at 500 Morse Rd. The current home of the School for the Blind, at 5220 N. High St., would be abandoned and could be made available for private development.

Judging from this news and looking at the map of the two schools, I think it may be a necessary cost-effective way for the state government to save money, even earning money from private developers who would purchase the property of the old residential school for the blind, considering the amazing turnaround of the nearby Graceland Shopping Center, having incredible effects on the neighborhood locating near both residential schools. Few years ago, the shopping center was such an eyesore to many people traveling along the very busy High Street. Then Casto development corporation purchased the center and did great jobs in improving it, adding Target and few new concept stores. Now it's the envy of north Columbus.

Acre for acre, the property of the old blind school is larger than the Ohio School for the Deaf's ground. The area north of the deaf campus is heavily forested but could become the new blind campus, however that remains to be seen.

Is it a good thing for the deaf kids at the deaf campus (and for the alumni) having to share with the blind in the future? As a Ohio taxpayer, I would suppose it is the best way for the state government to save money and have a cost-effective, redesigned and re-branded campus for the deaf and the blind of the 21st century and not bust future state budgets. Though I've never attended the school, so I wouldn't know much reactions in this today's news from the deaf community in Ohio who grew up attending Ohio School for the Deaf. I'll ask around and see what do they think of that?

UPDATE:
Ohio School for the Deaf's annual appropriation for 2006-07 is nearly $9.7 millions on payrolls, fringe services, maintenance and equipment: OSD's General Revenue Fund.

Whereas the Ohio School for the Blind have not receive appropriations from the state since 2003: OSSB's General Revenue Fund.

Ohio School Facilities Commission report on both schools: Important - read the first paragraph.

The consolidation of OSD and OSSB is a part of Ohio's $1.8 billion plans: $4 million to consolidate the Ohio State School for the Blind and the Ohio School for the Deaf under one roof.

UPDATE 2.2.2007: A good friend of mine provided additional information about the two schools, based on his conversation with Ed Corbett, the Superintendent of the deaf school, read below:

I just spoke with Ed Corbett during lunch time last Friday and he told me PERSONALLY that the blind school will be relocated on deaf's property. All old buildings on deaf school will be demolished forever once the new buildings are up. The new buildings will occur on the front of the deaf property while old buildings area will convert to athletics field.

As of what Robert's comment (Rob's note: Not me but another Robert, a friend of mine who replied to my email last night) about combination of campus is correct. We will NOT see a merger in school buildings and cafeteria but we will see some mergers like maintenance, custodial, garages, etc. There is still a question what we will do with the blind's property. But the good news the woodland that you see in the rear of the staff and superintendent buildings is the state wildlife refugee. So, more likely, we won't see any development in that area.

Corbett told me that he had a meeting with over 100 firms (architectures) who want to win the bid last Friday. Also, he said that the new buildings will be finalized within 5 years from now and we should see breaking the ground in 2008.

Best news so far.