No Bids For Old School Kellogg Community Group Wants The Property But Requires Special Financing Deal

Three months after evicting two community groups, the Kellogg School District can’t seem to interest anyone in buying the now-vacant Elk Creek School.

The school board voted Monday night to seek another round of bids from anyone wanting to buy the 58-year-old brick schoolhouse. A month-long request for bids ended Friday with nothing submitted.

The new appeal for bids will take about a month, School Superintendent Larry Curry said. After that, the building can be sold, without a bid, to anyone willing to pay the $135,531 appraised value.

The board’s decision angered the People’s Action Coalition, a local citizens group that wants to buy the school and convert it to a community center. The coalition, a small business and a youth boxing club were kicked out Dec. 21.

“Everyone in the community would benefit from it (a community center),” said Barb Miller. “This would lend dignity, help and economic growth to the whole community.”

The group submitted a proposal, offering to lease the building for one to five years, then pay the balance of the sale price, for a total of $135,531. The group, which needed the extra time to raise funds, hoped its proposal would be accepted by the board Monday night.

“Every time we get a chance to sit down and talk seriously, they change the rules,” said Miller.

She said she’s confident the group can marshal enough donations, grants and other funds.

“The school district has not received a better offer,” Miller said. “It (the school) has been up for sale for three or four years.”

Curry said the district would love to sell Miller’s group the building, but is skeptical the group can raise the money. The quicker the deteriorating building is sold, the better, he said.

“I suppose it’s possible, and in fact I hope they do,” Curry said. “But the fact of the matter is that the board needs to get rid of what they see as a liability.”

The district is prohibited from selling the building for less than market value, he said. School districts can donate buildings to non-profit groups, but Curry said the district badly needs money for work at existing schools.

The 16,000-square-foot school includes six classrooms, a gym, kitchen, cafeteria and restrooms. It was an alternative high school when it was closed three years ago.

The school board has tried to sell the building three times since 1993. Each time, it received no bids.

During the most recent effort, two local real estate agents and two local businesses said they were interested. Flat land is at a premium among the steep hillsides of the Silver Valley, and the school includes four acres.

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