By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school board voted Monday night in special session to move forward with financing and a lease-purchase resolution for the Oak Park Medical Complex.

The building at 2501 E. 13th would be renovated for the Early Childhood Connections and Head Start programs currently housed in the former Washington and Munjor schools.

Superintendent John Thissen said he was “pleased” with the four local bids.

“It was nice to get the bid The Bank of Hays has provided, which was 3.49 (percent). We were identifying the best way to handle it was semi-annual payments. But it’d be about $216,000 is what would be spent a year,” Thissen explained.

The total amount financed by the low bid would be $2,159,478.68 over 10 years.

The lease-purchase resolution must be published in the newspaper for two weeks and then allows for a 30-day protest period, which could lead to a public vote.

According to Thissen, the five owners in the medical complex have already signed contracts to lease the building.

Board members Greg Schwartz and Sophia Rose Young voted against the financing; Schwartz also voted against the lease-purchase resolution citing concerns about where the building purchase that would serve just 150 students fits into a long-range facilities plan.

Board member Lance Bickle was absent.

Last week school the board voted to accept a $1.473 million federal grant which can only be used for the ECC Oak Park project.