CHESTERTON | The Discovery Charter School Founding Board announced to its list of interested families that it is nearing completion of its search for a site for the school.

The e-mail, sent to the list on Oct. 28, stated, "Charter School Development Corporation (the company that is providing our financing) and the owner of the building that we have been seeking, have officially signed the purchase agreement! We are planning to close on December 15th." The notice continued, "We have to go through the normal inspections and all of that but we are confident that all will work out," which means the school is on target to open in the fall of 2010.

"The building is known as the Canonie building and is located at 800 Canonie Drive in Porter. It is very centrally located, right off of 20 and a straight shot coming down 49 ... it already has much of the infrastructure in place," the e-mail said. "We basically just need to gut and rework the inside walls. The building is surrounded by beautiful trees and is bordered on one side by National Park Property."

The group will continue utilizing board members, committee members and volunteers to assist with grant writing, fundraising and marketing and enrollment tasks in the coming days, and it continues to meet with interested parties.

The Discover Charter School was approved for sponsorship in July by Ball State University President Jo Ann M. Gora. Ball State oversees the office of charter schools. Planning for the foundation of the Discovery Charter School began in the summer of 2008.

Discovery Charter School will serve kindergarten through sixth grade with a projected initial enrollment of 273 and will add a grade each year until it includes seventh- and eighth-graders.