That old Dillons store near North High? The school district has plans for part of it

The Wichita district plans to lease part of a vacant grocery store near North High School to a nonprofit group that provides free classroom supplies for teachers.

The former Dillons store at 13th and Waco, which the district bought eight years ago for $2 million, would be used as warehouse and office space for Project Teacher, according to a proposal the Wichita school board will consider Monday.

The group plans to use part of the building and loading dock – about 8,000 square feet of the 43,000-square-foot building, the plan says.

The district would charge the group $1 for use of the space, and the district would pay utility costs, according to the proposed lease.

“We’re thrilled,” said Terry Johnson, director of Project Teacher.

“It really helps us with a lot of things – more storage space, more exposure in the community, and the ability to host more teachers and distribute more supplies,” he said. “We’ll be able to expand our efforts long-term, and that’s just a huge blessing.”

Project Teacher is an initiative of GracePoint Church in Wichita. Since it launched in 2014, the group has distributed about $3.7 million in classroom supplies to area teachers.

The group holds occasional “shopping days” where teachers who have registered in advance can pick up free paper, pencils, crayons and other supplies. It also uses a van, donated by a local car dealership, to deliver supplies to area schools.

The Dillons store just east of North High, at 1435 N. Waco, closed in 2008.

The Wichita district bought the property for $2 million, citing plans to renovate the former grocery store and use it to expand North High’s technical education program. But those plans never materialized, after a new Southeast High School and other bond issue projects cost more than expected.

Since 2012, the former store has been used as a distribution center for Operation School Bell, which provides clothing and other supplies for Wichita-area children in need. The district also uses the space to store surplus items for public auctions.

The 4-acre property also provides additional parking for North High, which is the district’s smallest high school campus.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 10:18 AM with the headline "That old Dillons store near North High? The school district has plans for part of it."