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Board accepts $550,000 offer
| The Keokuk School District may have a buyer for its empty lot on Main Street. The school board approved selling the property for $550,000 to Baldridge Real Estate of St. Louis, representing Blue Marlin Group, Florida. The buyer has a 150-day option that can be extended. |
By Diane Vance/Gate City Staff Writer
The empty lot at 14th and Main streets in Keokuk may have a future life as the site of a retail store.
The Keokuk School Board Monday unanimously accepted an offer of $550,000 for the old middle school property from Baldridge Real Estate of St. Louis. The company is a property developer representing Fortune 500 retailers, according to school district business manager Greg Reynolds.
Baldridge Real Estate, representing Blue Marlin Group of Florida for this sale, is offering the district's asking price with a 150-day option.
At the June 16 board meeting, Reynolds told board members Baldridge will pay for an engineering review and survey. A contingency in the agreement is tenant approval.
“I'm not at liberty to disclose what tenant,” Reynolds said June 16. “We've been assured it is a Fortune 500 retailer.”
Students moved out of the former 1929 and 1957 buildings in September 2002 to the new middle school on Orleans. After several proposals from community members and outside developers for rehabilitation of the buildings, the board approved demolition. The property has been on the market for about seven years.
At Monday's public hearing on the sale, retired school district employee Marilyn Engler was the lone audience member to address the board.
“It makes more sense to build a new elementary school on that property than to sell it,” she said. “It was a mistake for the board and district to promise to build a new elementary school west of Main Street. There is not sufficient room west of Main Street without either digging or filling in dirt. The old middle school property is big enough to build a new energy efficient elementary school. Please don't sell the property. Please keep it to build a new school.”
Board member Bruce Dunek asked if there are longterm plans to build another elementary school.
Superintendent Jane Babcock nodded yes while board President Dr. Bill Davis referred to the latest Facilities Committee's recommendations to consolidate Wells-Carey and Lincoln elementary schools south of Main Street.
“The committee looked at all the district facilities,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lora Wolff, who oversaw the committee that met August to November 2006.
The committee's recommendation in the short term was to close Lincoln School, built in 1934. Lincoln closed in May 2007.
The longterm recommendation is to build a new elementary school with approximately three sections per grade south of Main Street. When the new school is built, Wells-Carey and Torrence, the two oldest structures in the district built in 1924, would close.
“This also was the recommendation from the prior Facilities Committee,” said Wolff.
In March 2002, a committee recommended modernizing and consolidating the elementary schools: “Consolidate all elementary students in three schools to include Hawthorne, George Washington and a new school to be built on a location to be determined on the south side of Main Street.”
Monday, Davis said the discussions from the facility committees were far enough back (in time) and did not include enough community input.
“Without a site study, building south of Main Street is not a solid idea,” he said.
Board member Tyler McGhghy said the facility committees were ad hoc committees, which included community members and both recommended a south side site.
“We also want to look at land for its highest, best use,” said Davis. “Using the Main Street property as an elementary site is not a high priority. It does have a good central location. It also has high traffic volume along Main Street.”
Engler said she moved to Keokuk in 1949.
“Elementary students were crossing Main Street to get to George Washington then,” she said. “Elementary children have been crossing Main Street for years.”
Board member Sandy Stark pointed out “that has not happened for quite some time.”
Babcock said when middle school students attended there traffic was congested.
“Traffic created a gridlock,” said Steve Carman, middle school principal. “It was very busy before and after school. It took a lot of staff oversight. The site is very distracting to students during the school day. We were cramped in a three-story building. If you want an elementary school there, you would need to buy more surrounding property, it's not as big as it seems. By law, elementary schools need more space.
“It is my personal and professional opinion it's not a good site for another school. It's a good business location.”
The Keokuk School Board Monday unanimously accepted an offer of $550,000 for the old middle school property from Baldridge Real Estate of St. Louis. The company is a property developer representing Fortune 500 retailers, according to school district business manager Greg Reynolds.
Baldridge Real Estate, representing Blue Marlin Group of Florida for this sale, is offering the district's asking price with a 150-day option.
At the June 16 board meeting, Reynolds told board members Baldridge will pay for an engineering review and survey. A contingency in the agreement is tenant approval.
“I'm not at liberty to disclose what tenant,” Reynolds said June 16. “We've been assured it is a Fortune 500 retailer.”
Students moved out of the former 1929 and 1957 buildings in September 2002 to the new middle school on Orleans. After several proposals from community members and outside developers for rehabilitation of the buildings, the board approved demolition. The property has been on the market for about seven years.
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“It makes more sense to build a new elementary school on that property than to sell it,” she said. “It was a mistake for the board and district to promise to build a new elementary school west of Main Street. There is not sufficient room west of Main Street without either digging or filling in dirt. The old middle school property is big enough to build a new energy efficient elementary school. Please don't sell the property. Please keep it to build a new school.”
Board member Bruce Dunek asked if there are longterm plans to build another elementary school.
Superintendent Jane Babcock nodded yes while board President Dr. Bill Davis referred to the latest Facilities Committee's recommendations to consolidate Wells-Carey and Lincoln elementary schools south of Main Street.
“The committee looked at all the district facilities,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lora Wolff, who oversaw the committee that met August to November 2006.
The committee's recommendation in the short term was to close Lincoln School, built in 1934. Lincoln closed in May 2007.
The longterm recommendation is to build a new elementary school with approximately three sections per grade south of Main Street. When the new school is built, Wells-Carey and Torrence, the two oldest structures in the district built in 1924, would close.
“This also was the recommendation from the prior Facilities Committee,” said Wolff.
In March 2002, a committee recommended modernizing and consolidating the elementary schools: “Consolidate all elementary students in three schools to include Hawthorne, George Washington and a new school to be built on a location to be determined on the south side of Main Street.”
Monday, Davis said the discussions from the facility committees were far enough back (in time) and did not include enough community input.
“Without a site study, building south of Main Street is not a solid idea,” he said.
Board member Tyler McGhghy said the facility committees were ad hoc committees, which included community members and both recommended a south side site.
“We also want to look at land for its highest, best use,” said Davis. “Using the Main Street property as an elementary site is not a high priority. It does have a good central location. It also has high traffic volume along Main Street.”
Engler said she moved to Keokuk in 1949.
“Elementary students were crossing Main Street to get to George Washington then,” she said. “Elementary children have been crossing Main Street for years.”
Board member Sandy Stark pointed out “that has not happened for quite some time.”
Babcock said when middle school students attended there traffic was congested.
“Traffic created a gridlock,” said Steve Carman, middle school principal. “It was very busy before and after school. It took a lot of staff oversight. The site is very distracting to students during the school day. We were cramped in a three-story building. If you want an elementary school there, you would need to buy more surrounding property, it's not as big as it seems. By law, elementary schools need more space.
“It is my personal and professional opinion it's not a good site for another school. It's a good business location.”
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