City, School District Partner to Turn Portion of Royal View into City Senior Center

Photo courtesy of the North Royalton City Schools

At the April 19, 2022, North Royalton City Council meeting, it was announced that the School District and City are in the process of securing an agreement to transform a portion of the former Royal View Elementary School into a city senior center.  

North Royalton Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz said this opportunity was born from a suggestion made by Ward 1 Councilman John Nickell. A phone call to North Royalton City Schools’ Superintendent Mike Laub brought an enthusiastic response, and is yet another example of the City and School District working together for the betterment of residents.

“For a number of years, I have heard our seniors continually ask for a better senior center facility. I listened, and this is an answer to their needs. It is also another shining example of the great working relationship we have enjoyed for a number of years with the School District. I believe this is a prudent use of tax dollars and is an efficient utilization of available space for the benefit and enjoyment of our seniors,” said Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz. “There are some renovations we need to perform to a portion of the building before we move. Our goal is to have things in place and ready to move in by the first of the year. I believe this is a way to provide better services for our seniors and address their needs, while still being fiscally responsible and cognizant of taxpayer dollars.”

“Any time the District can partner with the City of North Royalton to serve the community and save taxpayer dollars it is a win for everyone,” said Superintendent Mike Laub, North Royalton City Schools. “This is one example of the many ideas the Mayor and I have discussed. We are excited to see this happening and look forward to other partnerships that make sense for our community.

Details are still being finalized at this point. The back of the Royal View Elementary School building is still being targeted for the construction of a permanent Safety Town, which is another example of a city/schools partnership.  

“We are hoping that the rest of the building will someday house the central office administration for the District and perhaps a professional development area,” said Laub. “At this time, there is not a specific timeline in place for that conversation as there are other capital needs we would like to address first.”