School board gives nod to proposed sale of Clearwater building

A proposed sale of the Clearwater site building was okayed by the Summerland School board of education, contingent on approval of a sales agreement, during its Sept. 14 meeting.

Principal Mike Sanne said talks with ESU 8 administrator Corey Dahl have led to a sales price of $58,000.

With the Sept. 14 vote, school and ESU 8 officials will begin the process of drawing up a purchase agreement.

Several items will remain in the building.

“Some pieces of kitchen equipment, there will be some other equipment in rooms that stays,” Sanne said. “None of that will make or break us or make or break them.”

A storage shed, located west of the building, and all playground equipment will be included in the sale.

“They are probably one of the few entities that can keep it up, looking nice, and use it for something that’s educationally-based in our district for years to come,” Sanne said.

Surveyors were on-site earlier in September to plot the site of the shed and approximately 30 feet of land to the south of the structure, in addition to a sight line south of the western edge of school property.

Sanne expected to receive a surveyor’s report by the end of the week.

The current shop area was surveyed, but a tract of land behind the school, where the football practice field sits, was not included.

“It was surveyed in 1990, so they said we didn’t need to resurvey it.”

Sanne said he has compiled a list of what items will stay or make the move to the new Summerland structure.

Superintendent Dale Martin said Jacob Sertich, project architect from Wilkins Architecture Design and Planning, based in Kearney, will conduct a walk through to check current inventory for use at the new site.

Sanne spoke with Taylor Realty and Appraisal owner Bennie Taylor about costs associated with the sale.

“An important thing to think about is when to close, a close when ESU 8 would take over this summer,” Sanne said. “We need a cutoff date.”

First right of refusal will go to the school district and second right of refusal will go to the Village of Clearwater.

Board member Steve Thiele asked if easement talks have occurred for property north of the school.

“I don’t know if the easement needs to be defined by who will use it, it just needs to exist that there’s an easement there,” Thiele said.

According to Sanne, the school currently owns the driveway. Discussion on the easement will be addressed.

Board member Marty Kerkman asked if a move-in date had been set.

Sanne said school reports are due June 15, with a two-week window to make any corrections deemed necessary by the state department of education.

“I think somewhere around July,” Sanne said, noting Summerland officials may need to negotiate temporary access to the office. “We probably won’t be ready to move stuff anywhere else.”

He also advised the board to have a plan in case construction of the new site is behind schedule.

“Where will the kids go to school? How will it impact staff?” Sanne said.

Thiele clarified, “If we are on schedule, all the kids aren’t in the new school anyway.”

Completion of the building is expected in December 2021.

ESU 8 officials were expected to discuss the sale during the organization’s Sept. 21 meeting.

Thiele said he would like to see a purchase and sale agreement before making a motion to sell the structure, noting he would like to see the finer details.

“I feel like this motion should be to approve drafting a purchase and sale agreement for $58,000,” he said.

Martin did not think it was a problem.

Thiele made a motion to sell the Clearwater building to ESU 8 for $58,000, contingent upon review of a purchase and sale agreement by Thiele and Kerkman. The motion passed, 6-0.