This is the first in a series of articles about the properties sold to USD 257 to build a new science and technology building at the Iola High School campus on Jackson Avenue.
Holidays are a big deal to Dennis Mangold and his family. It was customary to see Christmas decorations displayed year-round at his home at 432 E. Jackson.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Mangold took down the festive tree for the last time at the house he?s called home for 10 years. Soon, even the house itself will come down.
The Mangold home is one of four recently purchased by the Iola school district to make way on Jackson Avenue for new construction.
The district plans to demolish the houses and build a new science and technology center, with other classrooms and a cafeteria, at the site. Voters approved the new building as part of a $35.3 million bond issue in the April election, along with a new elementary school and new heating, ventilation and cooling systems at the middle school.
Like the other property owners, Mangold agreed to sell his home after brief negotiations with the district. He believes the final purchase price was fair after the district agreed to allow him ?stripping rights? to take anything he wants out of the home. He?ll be able to salvage things such as carpets, bathroom fixtures and a vinyl privacy fence.
He?ll also take a decade?s worth of memories. His sons, now 21 and 23, lived in the home through much of their childhoods.
?I?m going to remember the good times we had while my kids were growing up. Especially the holidays.?
After learning the district?s desire to build on the site, the holidays took on extra importance for Mangold. He celebrated one last Easter dinner with friends and family in the house.
Because the city cordons off the block to traffic on Halloween, that evening was extra special. Typically, hundreds of trick-or-treaters flock there.
?We?d have a swarm of kids,? Mangold recalled fondly. ?The numbers have dwindled in the last few years, but it was always packed.?
Dennis Mangold shows off one of his favorite features, a telephone stand, of his home at 432 E. Jackson Ave. The house has been sold to USD 257 to be demolished to build a new science and technology building near Iola High School.
MANGOLD, a native of Illinois, purchased the house in the fall of 2009.
Three years earlier, his wife had died after an extensive illness. After her passing, he decided to move away in an effort to make a fresh start.
He first moved to Humboldt and worked for the ANW Cooperative as a paraprofessional for special needs children. He now works for the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center?s school-based counseling program.
