Bid deadline for old

WHS approaches
By Scott Nicholson

For sale — one high school, slightly used, books not included.

The clock is ticking on bids for the sale of the “old” Watauga High School, with a deadline of July 31 for sealed bids on the buildings and 75 acres near N.C. 105 and Winkler’s Creek Road in Boone.

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners decided in April to explore putting the property up for sale, declaring it surplus property and working out conditions to nationally advertise the property.

It will be sold “as is, where-is” and a deposit of $300,000 must be submitted with any offer to purchase the property, and any purchase agreement will be followed by a 10-day window for upset bids. The county also reserves the right to withdraw the property from sale at any time and to reject any and all offers.

County commissioner chairman Jim Deal acknowledged it was a tough time to sell commercial property, but said the county has already received significant interest.

“I think it is a difficult time because a lot of commercial businesses are not in expansion right now,” Deal said.

“Hopefully, the economy will be better in the summer of 2010 when we get ready to turn it over.”

The school board had received some written offers for the property in 2006, but the county commissioners decided to keep the school until the new facility opened. That decision was based largely on concerns and complications of holding classes in a building owned by someone else, whether that meant renting the facility back from the new owner or temporarily holding classes at a different site.

“Part of the issues we had earlier was how much rent people wanted,” Deal said. “If we had to sell it several years ago and paid some of the rent provisions these people were talking about, you end up paying two or three million dollars.”

The Town of Boone has rezoned the property B-3, which means it could be used for general business, high-density residential, or a mixed use.

Deal said the county hadn’t discussed economic incentive packages or other possibilities, but would consider them when the offers are made. He also said keeping the school and either leasing it or selling it later were options.

“We really won’t know much until the end of the July until we see what people put out,” he said. “We could consider a long-term lease instead of a sale.”

Deal said the county could also pay for the new school without the immediate cash infusion of a sale, preferring to be patient until the right offer comes along.

“From my perspective, I am not willing to sell the property for less than what we believe it’s worth just because of the economic climate,” Deal said. “It will be wiser to hold it and sell it a few years down the road when the economy turns around.”

The current high school was built in 1965 and underwent several major renovations. In 2005, the commissioners purchased two adjoining properties to add 7.5 acres in case the county decided to renovate the school and add an extra entrance. The county paid $2.5 million for the property and it is included in the sale.

The $65 million new high school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2010.

Under the sale notice, the closing and purchase of the old high school would occur by June 30, 2010.