School board members will decide Wednesday night whether to sell the district’s central office at 501 Merchant St.
An offer has been made by Deuce Holding Co. to purchase the building, which was donated to the district by the post office in the early 1960s. Deuce, which is represented by Brad Hase, has offered $228,860 for the building, according to information provided earlier by the district.
The issue is one of several action items involving school buildings on the board’s agenda for the meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. in the Mary Herbert Learning Center.
The board also will be asked to take action on a bid for renovation at Logan Avenue elementary school, a bid for pool repairs and improvements at Emporia High School, a bid for improvements for safety reasons of a transformer and associated electrical service at EHS, and an upgrade for the Emporia Middle School fire-alarm system.
The offer to purchase the central office first was presented to the board at its Feb. 14 meeting. The board agreed to the purchase price, but not the details of the sale. It is not obligated to continue with the sale.
If the sale is approved, the contract will allow the district to lease the current building for one year, at a cost of $2,800 per month plus utilities, to allow completion of renovations at the Mary Herbert building.
The district does not have firm estimates yet for the renovations, which will include adapting six rooms for office space to house 15 staff members, including administrators, secretaries and the technology department.
“The total cost of renovations will not exceed the amount received from the sale of 501 Merchant St., less any lease expense,” said Nancy Horst, community relations director for the district.
The estimated expenses associated with the building’s sale, and its subsequent one-year lease, are:
- $13,731.60, Realtor fee (6 percent of the sale price)
- $33,600, building lease, one-year total at a rate of $2,800 per month
- $337.50, attorney fee for sales contract
The total estimate of costs now known is $47,669.10. Additional expenses may be incurred as a result of the sale.
The balance available for renovating Mary Herbert would be approximately $181,190.90.
No significant additions of equipment are anticipated, Horst said. The signage will need to be changed to reflect the building as the district office. However, some equipment – copiers, printers, phone lines, security systems, and custodial equipment – likely will be shared.
“We have not put a dollar amount on that yet,” she said.
The district anticipates saving more than $46,000 per year in estimated costs, without considering driving time spent by central office staff traveling to the Mary Herbert building daily.
“We have a lot of meetings in the (Mary Herbert) building because that is where the district meeting rooms are located,” Horst said.
She said that staff spends at least 174 hours per year traveling between buildings. They use their own vehicles and are reimbursed for work-related mileage at the state rate, which is 47 cents per mile.
The known long-term savings to the district, after the move is made, are estimated to be:
- $25,000, estimated utilities
- $20,000, maintenance, repair and upkeep (estimate based on 10-year average)
- $675.00, building insurance
- $637.88, mileage paid to staff (average of 522 trips of the 2.6-mile round trip at 47 cents per mile)
The total estimated annual savings is $46,312.88 in known costs. Additional savings should come from approximately 174 hours of central office staff time as they travel between buildings. The actual cost of those hours would vary, depending upon which employee has made the trip.
If the sale is approved, the Toy Shoppe and several other employees currently working at Mary Herbert will be moved to other buildings.
“We anticipate that there will be room at Kansas Avenue and/or Maynard for the Toy Shoppe and other offices (or) departments,” Horst said. “Some staff may be relocated to available space in schools.”
Horst said that the district does not anticipate any significant additional costs for those moves.
“There may be some costs in changing phone lines and perhaps some Tech Department time for setting up equipment,” she said.
Horst said that consolidating the central administration with the Flint Hills Special Education Cooperative in Mary Herbert will eliminate some duplication of services, primarily in business office and personnel functions. It also should improve internal communication district-wide.
“Finally, it will allow for better integration of the Teaching and Learning Department because all curriculum staff will be in one location,” Horst said.
Curriculum staff currently is in the basement and main floor of the central office, as well as at Mary Herbert.
“We will no longer have offices in a basement, which will make it much easier for deliveries and visitors,” she said.
At Mary Herbert, visitors can move from floor to floor by using an elevator.
“The current building does not have an elevator, limiting access to the basement offices,” Horst said.
The agenda for Wednesday night's meeting also includes the following action items:
F the school calendar for 2009-10
F notice of nonrenewal for certified staff
F the audit for Fiscal Year 2008
F a restructuring plan for central supply department
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Looks like the school board is actually examining all the angles to be sure they make a good decision based on facts and actual costs. Unlike the city and county commissioners in the past. Consolidating everyone in one building sounds like a good idea and hopefully will save the district some money. Since we still don't know the number of students leaving the district next year, any cent saved would be helpful.
March 11, 2008 at 3:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )