Morgan BOE approves offer for central property
An offer to buy the central office property of Morgan County Schools at its appraised value was approved by the board of education at a special meeting on Wednesday.
By resolution, School Superintendent Bill Hopkins Jr. was authorized to negotiate a real estate sales contract and lease with WLP. LLC, the buyer, for the purchase of 13 acres of property at 1325 Point Mallard Parkway in Decatur.
Conditions of the agreement include that the buyer will pay $2.85 million for the property and the board will retain possession rent-free until Aug. 31, 2015.
The board reached terms with the buyer during a 30-minute executive session with a real estate agent and their attorneys and made it official by giving unanimous consent when it was brought up for a vote.
The close of the sale is subject to a 90-day term.
The central office property was re-zoned to B-2 commercial in 2013 and is considered a prime location for business development; however, the buyer did not indicate plans for its future use.
As to a new location for the central office, Hopkins said the board is looking at several options. They include the use of the Priceville Junior High School, after the new Priceville High School is completed in the summer of 2015.
“We’ve received other offers to purchase the property,” he added, “but the board held off because they weren’t convinced that the offer was adequate to meet the costs of relocating. This offer meets or exceeds those needs. No matter where we go, we want the new location to be the school system’s home for the next 50 years.
“I think this is going to be a good move for Morgan County Schools,” said board member Carolyn Wallace. “It is a little bittersweet, however, because this has been our home for so long.
In addition to providing offices for the superintendent and his staff, the central office campus has a transportation maintenance shop, building maintenance shop and an alternative school.