By Kristine Thomas
Silver Falls School District has begun the tasks to put Eugene Field Elementary School on the market.
The school board voted 4-3 on Jan. 9, 2015 to close Eugene Field by Aug. 31, 2016. Next fall, kindergarten though second grade students will attend Mark Twain Elementary School.
In December, the board agreed to sell the Eugene Field site and to give the superintendent the authorization to make the “necessary business arrangements for the lease, sale or conveyance” of the building and property.
Superintendent Andy Bellando said on March 22 that he is working with an attorney to help the district select a broker and place Eugene Field on the market. The RFP or request for proposals is scheduled to be published in The Daily Journal of Commerce the first or second week of April, Bellando wrote.
“The RFP will ask brokers to respond with proposals for selling the property,” Bellando said, adding he anticipates proposals being received during the month of April. The district could be in a position to select a broker by the May board meeting.
After the board selects a broker, it can either decide on an acceptable sale price or ask interested parties to submit offers without a listing price. Bellando said the board can reject offers if an acceptable sales price is not received.
He said the entire sales process will likely take a few months or longer depending on the interest in the property and the number and value of offers the district receives.
According to documents from the Silverton Country Historical Society, Eugene Field was built in 1922-23 in a Spanish Mission architecture style. An open house to say good-bye to the school will be held May 21.
