The Ravenna, OH Board of Education has taken the first step toward the demolition of the old Ravenna High School.

The board recently authorized Superintendent Dennis Honkala to seek bids for the demolition of the landmark, which dates back to 1921.

Honkala said the bid specifications will take several weeks to prepare because the administration needs to make arrangements to preserve historical artifacts. While some of those, such as awards and banners stored in the principal’s office, are easily removed, others, such as the Clinton Street arch, are incorporated into the building itself.

“That will be part of the specs too,” Honkala said, adding that it’s not yet clear whether the district will have to hire its own contractor to remove the arch.

He hopes to accept the “lowest and most responsible” bidder by the Jan. 23 regular board meeting.

The district has $700,000 set aside for the demolition. Of that, more than half comes from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission, which paid 53 percent of the cost of the new high school on North Chestnut Street.

Last month, the board agreed to demolish the building and enter an agreement with the Portage County Port Authority, the county’s development arm, to redevelop the site. The Port Authority envisions a “mixed use” development of the five acre site for residential, retail and office uses.