CPO’s Pepperdine project to carry O’Reilly name

SBJ file photo

CPO plans to renovate the former school.

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Last edited 1:31 p.m., July 3, 2018

The former Pepperdine Elementary School soon will fly the O’Reilly flag.

At the 1518 E. Dale St. building recently purchased from Springfield Public Schools, Community Partnership of the Ozarks is launching a community hub called the O’Reilly Center for Hope, according to a news release. The name was unveiled June 29.

The O’Reilly family – Charlie and Mary Beth, David, Larry and Rosalie O’Reilly Wooten — donated $1 million toward the center. Other funding includes $1 million in city-committed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money, a $250,000 challenge grant from The J. E. and L. E. Mabee Foundation Inc. and a $20,000 grant from the BKD Foundation.

“We are so excited and humbled to receive this very generous gift from the O’Reilly family. Their gift, along with the $1 million in HUD funding provided by the city, is helping us restore the historic Pepperdine building and make it a community-centered hub for affordable housing and homeless prevention services, education and other resources vital to the growth of our community,” said Janet Dankert, president and CEO of CPO, in the release.

The more than $2 million renovation project calls for replacing much of the roof, installing an elevator, and adding a new heating, cooling and ventilation system, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

At the O’Reilly Center for Hope, CPO is relocating its Springfield Affordable Housing Center and its One Door program. The nonprofit Springfield Community Land Trust also will be located at the center, and services and resources will be provided on-site by Burrell Behavioral Health, Legal Services of Southern Missouri, Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, the Springfield Police Department and others, according to the release.

CPO spokeswoman Jacque Breedlove-Harness said the construction and renovation project should take about eight months. The center is expected to open by March 2019.