District to auction off 6 sites

Superintendent says properties too costly to maintain

Six of Willoughby-Eastlake Schools’ properties are to be auctioned off Aug. 25.

Schools Superintendent Steve Thompson said the main reason for this auction is the properties are costly for the district to maintain. He pointed to the former Washington and Browning Elementary school buildings as good examples.

“We have to heat them to a certain level. We have to maintain the fire suppression systems. We have to maintain the security systems, and we have to service the grounds and continue to make repairs,” said Thompson.

“We’re sinking money into properties that, in one case, generates minimal revenue and in another case generates no revenue at all.”

In addition, the district is cash strapped as a result of a few failed levies. He said the district is grateful that their levy was eventually passed, but the collections will not be received until January.

“When you couple the fact that we have properties that are essentially albatrosses around the district’s neck from a financial perspective with the fact that we are cash strapped, it only makes sense to move those properties,” said Thompson.

Aside from the Washington and Browning Elementary buildings, the other properties being auctioned off include Taft Elementary, a barn on district property, land on the corner of Shankland and Route 84 and land on the corner of Route 6 and River Road in Willoughby Hills.

According to Thompson, the land on the corner of Route 6 and River Road once housed Garfield Elementary. The building was closed due to decreasing enrollment and was demolished. The demolition was done more than 25 years ago and since that time, the land had been leased to Willoughby Hills.

The land on the corner of Shankland and Route 84 was used as the parking lot for students at South High School. Since finishing construction of the new building and new parking areas for students, the land is no longer used by the district.

The barn was used for storage at one time. The storage is no longer needed and the cost of maintaining the barn is not a responsible use of taxpayer money since it has and will continue to sit empty, according to Thompson. The hope is that someone will purchase the barn and recycle the beams, wood, etc.

The cost of repairing Washington Elementary became greater than the cost of purchasing a new building, the School of Innovation. When the building was closed about five years ago, the building was leased with the understanding that if major repairs were required, the lease would end.

Browning Elementary was a neighborhood school at one time. The school was closed more than 25 years ago and it was leased to the City of Willoughby as a senior center. When the city opened a new building, they vacated the property.

Taft Elementary was closed due to decreasing enrollment and has not been used by the district in more than 15 to 20 years, according to Thompson.

The sale of all properties and buildings was announced prior to the levies placed on the ballot one year ago. The sale was built into the financial recovery plan following cuts from the State of Ohio that totaled approximately $8.2 million per year.

Preparation for the auction on the district’s part has been fairly minimal, said Thompson. Preparation has been handled by the auctioneer and the district’s realtor, he said.

“We know what the fair market value is of each property and our goal is to reach that fair market value price,” said Thompson. “In terms of how many bidders will be there, I don’t know, but there has been a decent level of inquiry from interested parties.”

The bidding will begin at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at 38032 Brown Ave. in Willoughby. Interested parties can request to bid online at https://www.kikoauctions. com/nl#/sales/89372/lots. All will be sold from the Brown Avenue location.