Building permit issue stymies Nonstop occupancy
On Monday, February 9, the offices of the Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute in the Millworks complex in Yellow Springs were flagged by the Department of Building Regulation of Greene County, due to a miscommunication regarding the acquisition of the proper occupancy permits. Folks had until 5:00 p.m. that day to remove all personal effects and evacuate the building, and no one will be allowed to occupy the space until the issue is resolved.
The following day, a meeting with the Department was held. Present at the meeting were Chief Building Official Al Kuzma, an associate of his, Millworks owners Ellen Hoover and Sandy Love, Nonstop designer Michael Casselli, former College Revival Fund Treasurer Don Wallace (who signed the rental lease), and Executive Collective members Susan Eklund-Leen and Chris Hill.
According to an email sent to the Nonstop community by Hill and signed by the entire Executive Collective (Hill, Ecklund-Leen, Beverly Rodgers, and Hassan Rahmanian), at the meeting it was decided that Nonstop will work with a licensed architect, to ensure the space continues to be up to code and that the paperwork for necessary permits are delivered to the Department. After these initial steps, there will be a series of inspections of the Millworks space, the first one on Friday, February 13, says Nonstop IT Coordinator Tim Noble.
In addition to the inspection, for a short period of time on Friday, people were admitted into the building, in order to give visiting members of the Board ProTempore a tour of the space.
The future of Nonstop’s new home is hopeful. Tuesday’s meeting was productive, the obstacles seemingly conquerable. Hill felt “very encouraged by what seemed to be a shared interest among all those present at the Tuesday afternoon meeting in remedying the situation in a timely fashion.â€
“If all goes well,†writes Hill, “we could be back in the space within a week.â€
Until that time, classes will continue as scheduled in their various locations across the village, and other events and meetings will be shifted geographically as necessary. Hill’s email contained phone numbers of Nonstop staff members that should be contacted with questions or concerns. Nonstop’s HQ phone number has been forwarded to Nancy Wilburn, who is acting as a sort of temporary central dispatcher.
“Because Nonstop is so well integrated with community,†says Noble, “alternative space isn’t hard to come by.†To that end, thanks are due to the individuals and businesses in the Village of Yellow Springs who continue to unwaveringly support Nonstop.
