DANVILLE - The former Douglas Elementary School property may become the site of a residential development for a special-needs population.

The unnamed party behind the development, however, is interested only in the property and not the boarded up 90-year-old school building, which has sat vacant since May 2002.

"The school district is making that land available for a future project," Mayor Scott Eisenhauer said. "It is not a business venture but would be housing for a special-needs population."

He declined to elaborate on what he meant by a special-needs population.

Danville District 118 Superintendent Nanette Mellen said if the school district can work out an agreement with the interested party, the school district would pay to demolish the three-story school building that has been rapidly deteriorating.

Mellen estimated the cost of the demolition to be $250,000.

"There is interest in just the property. The school building is no longer habitable," she said.

"The property is adjacent to Douglas Park which makes it attractive," she said.

"We are working with the city in this project," Mellen said, adding that Vicki Stewart, president and CEO of the Vermilion Advantage, brought the interested party to the attention of the school district.

Mellen would not disclose any details about the interested party except that it is a local concern.

The District 118 School Board may take action on the fate of the Douglas School property at its Nov. 17 meeting. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Jackson Building, 516 N. Jackson St.

Eisenhauer confirmed the city is involved with the possible project.

He said the city would not help the school district with the demolition costs, but rather "the city may swap property with the school district."

At one time, Eisenhauer's Mayor's Youth Council considered transforming Douglas School into a teen center but found the school building to be in poor condition and would be too costly to renovate. Asbestos and lead paint also were concerns.

In fact, Eisenhauer said, the school district wouldn't allow anyone inside the building to look at it due to safety concerns.

"The building is not in the condition that it could be used again," he said.

Eisenhauer, who attended Douglas School from kindergarten through sixth grade in the '70s, said he is sad about his alma mater being torn down.

"It makes me sad because we're never going to have a reunion like Cannon School did a couple years ago," he said.