***Mike Berry and Susan DeVilder both contributed to the writing of this article.
T. Greg Wertheim envisions the former American Legion property in Kewanee as the home of one of the finest facilities in Illinois for youths with autism and other cognitive difficulties.
Wertheim is the executive director of the Henry-Stark Counties Special Education District, which is purchasing the Legion building on Railroad Avenue for $300,000.
Currently, Henry-Stark has no facilities for students with autism.
“We can do this,” Wertheim said. “We just don’t have the facility to do it.”
Students in Henry and Stark counties who need these services have to be bused to Peoria or the Quad Cities.
If all goes according to plan, they’ll be able to go to the facility in Kewanee by the fall of 2026.
Jerry Thompson, finance officer for the American Legion and the Kewanee Veterans Council, said he is happy about the sale of the building. In the fall, the American Legion Post 31 pulled up stakes and moved into a downtown location. The building where they moved to on Third Street is smaller and a more suitable size for the Legion’s decreasing membership, Thompson said.
The Legion board recently accepted the bid on the building and the sale is a relief to Thompson, who said the organization is in need of the funds from the sale proceeds.
Wertheim expects the sale of the building, which is being financed through Peoples National Bank, to close by the end of March.
He said there will be eight classrooms in the 10,000-square-foot American Legion building. Both levels of the building will be used.
The Legion building, which is handicap-accessible on both the main level and the basement, offers the opportunity for creating a state-of-the-art facility.
“Right now, it’s a blank canvas,” Wertheim said.
Architects are already at work designing the remodeling of the building. The special ed district will also work with the Autism Society and other organizations on the design, Wertheim said.
“We want it to be one of the nicest facilities in the state of Illinois,” he said.
Wertheim said the facility will be able to accommodate up to 40 students, although he expects there will be about 25 going there when it opens.
There will be 30 staff members at the facility, which means the special ed district will be hiring teachers and other staff members.
In addition to the indoor facilities, an outdoor playground is planned, he said.
The facility will accept students from the eight school districts that are part of the Henry-Stark district, and Wertheim said other nearby districts will also be able to send students here by paying tuition for them.
He said acquiring the building has the support of officials in all eight of the Special Ed District schools and of the Special Ed District’s board.
Wertheim said the American Legion officials have been “fabulous to work with” in the sale of the facility, and that the Peoples National Bank staff has also been very supportive of the project.
As for Thompson and the Legion members, they are thrilled with the building’s new purpose.
“As far as a business, I don’t know what kind of business could have gone in there,” Thompson said. He had thought it would make a great location for a party or wedding venue.
“It’s a good location for a school,” he said. “And it’s a blessing for the Legion.”
