Jefferson County officials are taking steps to repair the former Westside Elementary School, so it can be used again. The school has been vacant since 2008. Now school officials want to use it for non-profits. Darryl Smith, the Director of Operations for Jefferson School District, says they've been working on this for a while:  “This is a really pivotal point. The building is a cornerstone in the community, recognized by a lot of people who attended high school there. We needed to make a decision to sell it or open it in pieces and work on the rest of it, to see what we can do with it.” Currently the High Desert Education Service District plans to sign a ten year contract to provide early childhood special education at Westside.  Jefferson County Middle School plans to offer an off-campus Alternative Administrative Education Program there as well. The cost of repairs to get about a third of the building repaired and running will be around $111,000.