The Greater Johnstown School District is preparing to sell surplus items that have been housed in the Irving Street School, which itself will be sold in coming months.
During the school election May 17, residents passed a proposition 572 to 58 to sell the school for no less than $42,500.
Superintendent Katherine Sullivan said the prospective buyer is R. Scott Shipley, a developer who plans to transform the building into an apartments.
“We all want to move quickly on this,” she said. “Hopefully there will be a closing relatively soon.”
At a meeting last week, Sullivan told the Board of Education that bids could be sought for all items in the building valued under $1,000, on the authority of Business Manager Alice Sise. Bids for items valued at more than $1,000 have to be approved by the school board.
Sise said the two items that should be approved for bids were a 1997 Ford F350 pickup with plow and a Jacobsen lawn mower that was used to mow the athletic fields.
The board passed a resolution to sell both.
Less valuable items for sale in the building include a smaller mower, desks, ladders, doors, air conditioners, bookcases, a spiral slide from a playground, and other miscellaneous items.
Sise said over the years the building was used as storage for the maintenance department, and an odd variety of items has been collected there through the years.
“There are dozens of items in there. Whatever is in there and isn’t a permanent fixture of the building can be sold,” she said.
Sullivan and Sise said the contractor has agreed to dispose of any items left in the building that are not sold, which can be done with objects deemed surplus.
“They’re not requiring the building to be broom clean before it is sold, which is nice of them,” said Sise.
The money earned will go into the district’s general fund and will be considered a source of revenue.
Tours of the building will be held through Friday. To schedule a tour call Facility Director Leo Loveless at 762-3212. Open tours will be held throughout the day on Tuesday.
Categories: Schenectady County
