By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board voted Monday night to reopen the bidding for the Washington school building.
Washington school is being vacated by the Early Childhood Connections program, which is being relocated to the renovated Oak Park Complex.
The Overland Park Group has a contract to buy the school, but the contract was contingent on the developer receiving tax credits. The developer wanted to renovate the former school into low-income apartments. However, it did not receive the tax credits this year.
The Overland Park group proposed an addendum that would have extended the contract so the Overland Park Group could apply for tax credits in 2020.
The board opted not to sign the addendum, but send out requests for sealed bids for the property for a second time.
“Now we’re another year away,” board member Greg Schwartz said of the addendum. “Maybe they will get [the tax credits], but maybe they won’t. If they don’t, we sat on it. It seems a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush.”
Board member Luke Oborny said, “I think we should see what is out there.”
Board members Mandy Fox and Paul Adams also spoke in favor of reopening the bidding process for the building, saying they thought the Overland Park Group timeline is too long to wait.
The Overland Park Group offered the district $500,000 for the building. The district received another bid for $200,000 for the building on the first round of bids.
The Washington school building will be under contract with Overland Park Group until Jan. 31, 2020. However, board attorney Bill Jeter said if the district receives a favorable bid on the building, it could set the closing date after Jan. 31. Overland Park Group could also choose to release the district from its contract.
Renaming of Oak Park still on hold
The school board voted to table the renaming of the Oak Park Complex.
Community members have submitted a list of suggested names for the building.
New Superintendent Ron Wilson said Early Childhood Connections has spent significant effort in branding its program with its current name.
Donna Hudson-Hamilton, ECC director, said she did not want to rename the program. Keeping the name is not only important for branding, but it important to keep consistency for the purpose of grants, she said.
She said the building could be named one name and the ECC program could retain its name.
The board is set to take up the issue at its next meeting on July 22.