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Charter school wins use of clubhouse

Dayspring Academy will absorb the building's costs, while the Embassy Hills group will continue to have access.

PORT RICHEY - For cash-strapped civic association members, Monday's decision to donate their Embassy Hills clubhouse was "gut wrenching."

For overcrowded administrators at the Dayspring Academy charter school, it was a windfall.

"This is the best deal we can get," civic association vice president Ron Nuce said.

With dwindling membership dues and low turnout at fundraisers such as bingo, the association could not afford to operate its clubhouse. Bills topped $3,000 a month on the 9,930-square-foot facility.

But state law stipulated the nonprofit association could not sell the building. It had to be donated - preferably to a charitable organization.

"We were between a rock and a hard place," Nuce said.

So was Pasco's first charter school. Established in 1999, Dayspring Academy is quickly outgrowing its leased site a couple of miles away.

"We had to reject 900 students this year," said John Legg, deputy administrator at Dayspring which educates 300 students in grades K-9.

Begining in August, the students will be split between the current location and the clubhouse.

The goal is to establish "Dayspring Junior High." About 100 children in grades 6-9 will move to Embassy Hills. The remaining K-5 students will stay at the Ponderosa Avenue site.

Busing arrangements between the two locations are being organized, although most parents drive their children, Legg said.

The big benefit will be in savings to the school. The arts-themed school now spends $85,000 a year to lease its 12,000-square-foot building behind the health department on Ponderosa Avenue in Port Richey.

Needing more space, the school was one day away from signing an additional lease for a property in Seven Springs when administrators heard about the Embassy Hills clubhouse.

Along with other groups, including the Marine Institute in New Port Richey, the school submitted several presentations to the civic association in recent weeks detailing its plans for the building.

Embassy Hills leaders said they still want to operate as a social club and have some access to the facilities.

The charter school said no problem and promised a dual-use scenario that would convert the bingo hall into a multipurpose room and allow shared cafeteria use.

On Monday afternoon, members voted to donate the building to the school.

Per the agreement, Dayspring will assume insurance costs and operating expenses - instead of another lease.

"It sounds very good to hear that," Dayspring administrator Suzanne Chase said. "Woo hoo!"