'Think Tank' works with community to find use for Larrabee building

With the closing of Fairhaven's Larrabee Elementary happening this June, one issue that is still unresolved is what will become of the 124-year-old building and how will it be used.

To combat this, a discussion group was created last fall called the Repurposing Larrabee Think Tank. The Think Tank is made up of a large group of community members and public officials who listen to ideas from attendees and work to weigh the pros and cons of possible uses for the Larrabee building once it's unoccupied in June of this year.

With meetings on Nov. 21, Dec. 12, Jan. 9, Jan. 30,  and Feb. 13, there have been many questions over what can be done with the building, with each meeting gaining more and more ground. A consensus from attendees is that the building should be used for some sort of education, like for home school students, adult education, or maybe even a private school. From the Dec. 12 meeting, it was brought up that the 1.3 acres the building stands on is Public zoning, and that any other use of the property would need permission.

Though the Think Tank makes no decisions about what will happen to the building, they will present the conclusions to Bellingham Superintendent Greg Baker who will then weigh the options and decide what to do with the building.

The last meeting will be on Feb. 27 in Whatcom Middle School Library. Like all previous meetings, it will be from 4:30 to 6 p.m.