Jan. 13—LIMA — Willie Heggins III wants to see a revival on the north side of Lima.
The executive director of Heir Force Community School, which is renovating the former Ohio Department of Job & Family Services building on the corner of North Main Street and Grand Avenue, wants the school’s presence to inspire economic development in the surrounding neighborhood.
“This is an opportunity for us to work together,” Heggins told members of the Lima Rotary Club on Monday.
Heir Force is renovating the property at 799 N. Main St. to accommodate future enrollment growth at the school, which Heggins said is needed to generate new revenue for the school.
Founded in 2001 by Cornerstone Harvest Church, Heir Force transitioned from a charter school to a community school in 2012. The school is publicly funded but operates independently of the public schools.
The school’s 250 students, who range from kindergarten through eighth grade, are expected to move from their temporary location on Elizabeth Street to the renovated North Main Street building before the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Heir Force purchased two other North Main Street lots, where it intends to construct a playground and outdoor exercise area, which will be accessible to students and the public alike if Heggins’s vision for the neighborhood becomes reality.
Heggins told the Rotary Club of his dream to see redevelopment on the north side of Main Street, rather than just downtown.
“I’m acutely aware of $30 million worth of investments that are taking place just south of Main Street,” Heggins said as he presented a slideslow of what he hoped North Main Street will look like in several years.
The slides depicted mixed-use apartments, parking lots and a busier renovated Rich Oil gas station, alongside images of the new Heir Force Community School and playground.
Heggins said additional development would result in higher property values and tax revenue for the city, in addition to aiding the city’s efforts to make housing more affordable.
“Let the school be an anchor for helping to revitalize the economic makeup on the north end of town,” Heggins said.
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