At the Monday, February 26 Rushford-Peterson School Board meeting, Superintendent Chuck Ehler brought forth a proposal designed to facilitate the sale of the former elementary and high school buildings. Located in Rushford, the buildings were vacated by the district in August of last year as the district transitioned into a new early childhood through grade 12 facility. To date, Ehler says only inquiries have been made into the buildings and no formal offers have come to the table.
Board Directors Dean Mierau and Jon Pettit voiced some concern over the proposal, albeit for different reasons. Mierau expressed frustration that the Facilities Committee, comprised of himself and Board Directors Joyce Iverson and Julie Koop, hadn’t been notified of any plans regarding the building. “I don’t feel in the loop. I feel like I’m in the dark. I felt a little caught off guard that the utilities had been turned off,” said Mierau. “As part of the Facilities Committee, I feel that should be right in our wheelhouse.” Ehler countered Mierau’s concerns noting that the district had done very little with putting out any sales information or marketing, but that conversations with the city of Rushford are ongoing. “They’ve had inquiries; we’ve had inquiries. There’s nothing concrete,” said Ehler. “I apologize for not having you in the loop, but there really hasn’t been a loop to put you in.”
Pettit on the other hand, noted some frustration with no activity at the vacant buildings. “It’s been sitting vacant for almost a year. I haven’t seen a for sale sign or anything, except that the juice to the building was turned off. Are there other discussions on doing something with that building? What’s the city’s interest in this?”
“We’re casting as wide a net as possible. I think that’s a good start,” stated Board Chairman John Linder. Ehler noted the district has no agreement with the city, but that both Rushford and Peterson, where the vacant middle school building is located, are interested in what the district decides to do with the buildings. “They’d like to have a sense of where we’re going. The city’s role has a vested interest that the property is utilized to the maximum,” said Ehler.
Pettit indicated that perhaps the district should have a deeper vested interest in Peterson, because of the consolidation process that occurred between the two districts in the ‘90s. Ehler pointed out that the Peterson building is unique because the city has the option to buy back part of the property surrounding the building site. “They’re working to get all their ducks in a row,” added Ehler.
Considered for approval were two proposals from David Kane, Senior Architect, Widseth Smith Nolting. Option A included the formation of a Request for Proposal and a Request for Qualification for acquisition and development of the vacant Rushford properties. The process would take roughly four months at an estimated $15,000. Option B, less formal and more direct and giving more consideration to local developers, would see Kane working directly with the two entities that made inquiries. A meeting with the Facilities Committee would be targeted to putting together a schedule and interviews with prospective developers. The timeframe for Option B is just 45-60 days and a not-to-exceed, $8,000 investment by the district.
Kane already has a history with the district, having done preliminary designs on potential redevelopment of the Rushford facilities during the process leading up to the approved referendum to build the new school. He has a background of working to repurpose older buildings and is respected within the industry, according to Ehler.
“We need to do our due diligence to turn over all the rocks,” noted Ehler. The board unanimously approved moving forward with Option B.
In other news, after hearing concerns from the community at the January meeting regarding the potential auction sale of school memorabilia, the district will continue to wait on any formal action. The district will be ordering new championship banners for the school, but is waiting on color samples from the company, according to Activities Director Dan Bieberdorf. “We want to make sure we do it right, so we only do it once.”
The old banners and duplicate trophies have been boxed up and are in safe storage or cases, “under lock and key,” as noted by Ehler. “Every piece of information on the old banners will be on the new banners. We hope to showcase the new when they come in and then come up with a plan.”
Ehler did seek board approval to put the contents of a storage shed, located at the middle school, up for auction. “It’s been a collection point for years,” said Ehler. The items are mainly furniture with some small shop equipment. “I want to stress, so there’s no misunderstanding; this is only the items in the storage shed, not items in the middle school itself.”
The Transportation Committee of Linder, Mierau, Pettit will be meeting with Superintendent Ehler and Mike Bernard of Bernard Bus Service to negotiate the option for a two-year renewal of the contract. The current two-year contract is up March 20 and an option for renewal was built in. Ehler indicated that if the committee feels rushed, Bernard has indicated he is open and receptive to waiting. A proposal is expected to be presented for board consideration at the March meeting.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, March 19, at 5:30 p.m., in the Forum Room at the school. The public is encouraged to attend
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