YELLOW SPRINGS (AP) — Comedian Dave Chappelle stood on the front lawn of a newly restored 19th-century schoolhouse Thursday, joining neighbors and local officials as a small-town radio station secured its future in the community he calls home.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked two historic moments: Chappelle’s restoration of the Union Schoolhouse and WYSO’s relocation of its new broadcast facility inside it, bringing together distinct efforts to keep the station rooted in Yellow Springs at a time when local media outlets face mounting challenges.

“It’s like our lifeblood in the community,” Chappelle told The Associated Press about the station, recalling how its possible departure to nearby Dayton would have been “a crushing blow” for Yellow Springs.

More than 200 people gathered outside the former Union Schoolhouse, where Chappelle attended along with his wife, mother, station leaders and village officials, including Yellow Springs Mayor Steve McQueen and Dayton Mayor Shenise Turner-Sloss, to celebrate the opening the schoolhouse and the 68-year-old station into its next chapter.

The Union Schoolhouse was originally built in 1872 and once served as one of the village’s earliest integrated schools before later housing municipal offices and small businesses. After sitting vacant for years, it was purchased in 2020 by Chappelle’s real estate company, Iron Table Holdings. The property has since been transformed into a modern, multiuse space, with WYSO occupying the lower floors, while Chappelle’s offices will be based on the top floor.

For Chappelle, the investment was as much about preservation as development. “If you have the opportunity like I did, to invest in your community, then it’s one of the greatest investments I’ve ever made,” he said. “In some ways it feels dutiful. Other times I feel proud. … but ultimately, I’m doing it because I want to, not because I have to.”