Carson City School District could save millions with purchase of former church campus
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Tue, 06/25/2019 - 11:57am
UPDATE WEDNESDAY: The Carson City School District Board of Trustees approved last night to send a letter of intent with $50,000 earnest money. The school district will have 90 days to do all the surveys and inspections as well as decide what the campus could be, including another elementary school, middle school, fine arts center or GATE program.
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At the Carson City School District Board meeting tonight, Tuesday June 25, Superintendent Richard Stokes will be giving a presentation about a possible acquisition by the school district of the old Capital Christian Center, most recently known as Redemption Church.
According to Dan Davis, public information officer for the school district, purchasing the property would be a no-brainer.
“When you want to build a new elementary, you’re looking at around $20 million dollars,” said Davis. “For a middle school, it’s $60-80 million, and a high school is around $200 million. Acquiring a property like this for $5 million dollars is extremely reasonable.”
The property has been empty since Redemption Church closed its doors early this year, and is now up for sale for $5.5 million. The property is located south of Pete Livermore Sports Complex, which is used extensively for youth activities and events.
Because the property sits on BLM land, there are certain requirements of usage for the land, said Davis. For example, it cannot be used as a for-profit business, which reduces the window for prospective buyers.
While there are no specifics just yet on what the building could become if acquired by the district, there are several ideas floating around.
For example, the property, which offers five buildings containing classrooms, auditoriums, kitchens, offices, and more, could become a performing arts school for the district. Other ideas include a school specifically for sixth graders, to take pressure off of the crowded middle schools, a Gifted and Talented school, another middle school, or more.
The performing arts center has long been a topic of interest for the school district. One of the ways the district was going to use phase 2 of capital bond funds was for a performing arts center. However, after a rash of horrific school shootings that rattled the nation, the district instead decided to put the money toward making all of their schools single entry access.
“School safety took precedence,” said Davis.
Carson City’s School District became one of the first districts to have all of their schools converted to single entry access due to the swift decision. However, the teachers and community members who were looking forward to a performing arts center were left disappointed.
Now, with this acquisition, they could finally be getting the space they hoped for.
Performing arts teachers joined the board of trustees and other members of the school district to tour the facility last week.
“There’s a lot of space that could be used in many ways,” said Davis. “There are multiple buildings with large, open spaces inside. Those could be turned into two stories, built out with 5-8 classrooms; there are a lot of options. You could build virtually whatever you need inside.”
The school district and the board of trustees will decide tonight whether to submit a letter of intent to purchase the site with $50,000 in earnest money. Next, there will be surveyors and assessments to determine if the property is suitable for the district to purchase.
“Ultimately it’s the decision of the trustees,” said Davis. “We can all make our suggestions, but in the end it's up to them.”
The school board meeting is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center. Public opinion is always welcome at the school board meetings.
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