Since the Butler Middle School closed following the 2021-22 school year, we've followed the district's progress in finding a new fate for the Butler building.

We've wondered, hoped and conjured up big dreams of what the future could hold for the space where so many Butler County residents once studied, socialized with friends and otherwise spent some of their most formative years together.

On Thursday, we learned there's hope of stepping foot in the building again.

Pittsburgh self-storage developer Steve Mitnick was the high bidder at the hearing where the building sold. He plans to convert the old school building into a combination of storage units and salon suites, which he said he plans to rent to hair, fingernail, cosmetology and tattoo salons.

The sale, however, is contingent upon him obtaining zoning approval from the city for his plan, but he said his actions indicate he's ready to help move the building from its dormant state.

Mitnick offered $475,000 for the building and four lots that make up the school property.

The Thursday decision feels like the end of a story. It is, but it's also the beginning of another. We hope it’ll be a good one for the city of Butler. We’re hopeful this will be the case and are curious to see how the city will respond to the request to change the zoning for the property.

The report on the Butler Middle School wasn’t the only coverage from last week that feels like the end of a story. Articles about the East Butler Baseball Association and the Hotel Saxonburg feel like they offer closure.

But they also prompt a new story and questions about the future. For some of these stories, the future is more clear than others.

The East Butler Baseball Association's return to the borough marks the end of a disagreement that prompted the association to relocate away from its namesake to Prospect instead.

Its future? To return to East Butler and clean up the space that they'll use to play ball.

The story of the Hotel Saxonburg's closure, however, comes to a more bitter end. The historic and popular restaurant along Saxonburg's Main Street closed abruptly this past week. Its future is less certain.

Whatever the future holds, our team is here, reporting and letting you know what's happening as it happens. In fact, in the cases of the middle school, baseball association and the Hotel Saxonburg, perhaps, last week’s reports weren’t the end of a story, but instead a chapter.

— TL