Wanted: 10,000 square feet of prime office space.

With an enrollment of nearly 500 students, Quaker Valley Middle School is bursting at the seams, and Superintendent Joseph Clapper thinks relocating the administration wing could solve the crunch.

"We're using spaces for classrooms that were never designed to be classroom spaces," he said.

"All of us who work here would be pleased to provide adequate space to the middle school, and if that means moving the district office to some other place that is affordable and functional, we would be agreeable to that."

Board members entered into an agreement with L. Robert Kimball and Associates to assess converting the Edgeworth Municipal Authority building on Ohio River Boulevard into space for up to 20 Quaker Valley administrators.

The municipal authority stopped pumping water into the building 10 years ago, said Marty McDaniel, Edgeworth borough manager.

Relocating Quaker Valley's administration would free up some 10,000 square feet of space in the middle school and enable the district to provide more class space.

Other options presented to the district included adding space above the middle school cafeteria or dance studio.

But relocating administration piqued Clapper's interest.

"The scenarios they gave us were possible but the costs would be exorbitant," he said.

At a school board meeting earlier this year, Clapper showed members the overcrowded classes and converted rooms.

The building's last major renovation came 11 years ago, Clapper said. At that time, the school enrolled about 420 students. With a demographic study about the district recently released, Clapper doesn't anticipate numbers climbing.

"Our enrollment will remain flat or grow slightly," he said. "But there is a need to provide adequate space for education."

Clapper has a few guidelines he hopes any potential space fits.

"Any property we look into must be easily accessible to the community, offer plenty of parking and be at least 10,000 square feet," he said.

But Clapper said district office space shouldn't come at a large price.

"This isn't about spending money on the district office," he said.

"It's about finding more space for the middle school."