WALLACE — The Wallace School District is racing to meet a grant deadline that could determine the future of the Civic Auditorium. 

One way or another, the derelict building will come down in the next few years. What replaces it depends on available funding. 

According to Superintendent Todd Howard, the district is seeking grant funding through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields program to support demolition and future site improvements. The program helps fund the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties. 

The grant has a Jan. 28 deadline.

"Our team is feverishly working on collecting all the documentation and information to submit before the deadline,” Howard said. 

The district’s board of trustees approved submitting an application for demolition to Wallace’s Planning and Zoning Commission in August. In October, the commission approved the application after several rounds of questions from Howard and board members. 

Because of uncertainty surrounding grant funding, commission members raised concerns about what the site would look like after demolition. Howard said the commission approved two potential plans during its October meeting: 

• At a minimum, grass and trees would be planted after removing the building.

• If funding allows, the district could build a park with playground equipment, athletic courts, an outdoor amphitheater and green space. Mockups of the park are available. 

Howard said nearly every aspect of the project hinges on funding, which could also affect the timeline. 

The auditorium and the east academic wing are the last remaining portions of the old Wallace High School, which was partially torn down in 2003 to make room for the current Wallace Jr./Sr. High School. At that time, the district entered into a 20-year lease agreement with local patrons who wanted the auditorium preserved for community use. 

A recent cost analysis revealed that renovating and remodeling the structure would cost the district millions of dollars. In contrast, demolition of both the auditorium and the east academic wing would cost approximately $900,000.