RAVENNA − Two bidders − a local non-profit and an out-of-state realty company − submitted bids of more than $750,000 for the former West Park Elementary School in Ravenna.
The school district hosted a public auction Aug. 15 at the Board of Education office for the 27,425-square-foot building at 1071 Jones Road in Ravenna, which sits on a 2.2-acre lot. It’s not clear whether the board ultimately will accept either bid.
The top bids came from Magnolia Realty Holdings in Baltimore, which bid $775,000, and LoveLight Inc., a Kent-based non-profit, which bid $750,001.
Kristen Plageman, the school district’s treasurer, said the Ravenna Board of Education would discuss the bids at its Aug. 25 meeting in executive session. If the board wants to make a decision before its next meeting in September, she said, it likely will schedule a special meeting. Two of the board’s five members, Joan Seman and Patricia Dennison, attended the auction.
The district announced in February that the school, which housed kindergarten students, was to close. At that time, Superintendent Ben Ribelin said the building would be repurposed, leased or sold. Later, he clarified that the Board of Education decided to sell the building.
Kindergarten students will begin school Aug. 19 at Willyard Elementary School in Ravenna Township, which also houses first and second graders. Earlier this year, Ribelin said another building in the district would close as part of the district’s “consolidation plan.” The district has not named the building.
Three bids were submitted in advance, including Magnolia’s initial bid of $750,000 and LoveLight’s initial bid of $400,000. A third bidder, who submitted a $20,100 bid, declined to appear in person or bid virtually.
Betsy Justice, executive director of LoveLight, then was given the opportunity to increase her bid, and agreed to go a dollar above Magnolia’s bid. Kevin Wilson of Magnolia, who was bidding virtually, then said he would increase his bid to $775,000.
Ribelin previously said when a school is offered for sale, the district first must offer the building for purchase to charter schools. If none does, the building then must be offered for public auction. If the auction is unsuccessful or all bids are rejected, the building can then be sold privately.
At the Aug. 15 auction, Plageman said the board had set a minimum bid for the property, but it was not revealed.
Magnolia Realty does not appear to be affiliated with Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Realty, which is based in Waco, Texas. The Gaineses gained fame with a group of shows on HGTV, including “Fixer Upper.”
Plageman said Wilson flew in from Baltimore to view the property.
Justice said she hopes to put an intergenerational day care in the school building. She said she previously asked the city for a change of use for the property, but was told by the city to wait until after the auction. The non-profit also is eying a property in Franklin Township for the project, she said.
City Engineer Bob Finney attended the auction in person, along with an inspector from the fire department, but didn’t submit a bid. Finney said they were there to see who bid on the building and to answer questions on behalf of the city.
West Park is the fourth building the district has closed since the early 2000s.
The former Ravenna High School, at East Main and Clinton streets, was demolished in 2012 after the board held a public auction but rejected the top bid. The property was sold to the City of Ravenna in 2022 for a future safety building and city hall.
In 2013, the district closed Tappan Elementary School, which now is leased to Education Alternatives, which bought the former Board of Education office in 2020, saying it would be used as a counseling center.
In 2020, Carlin Elementary School was closed, and the remaining elementary buildings were reorganized. It now houses the district’s Board of Education offices, and its special services, EMIS and preschool.
The former Rausch Intermediate School, which is connected to Brown Middle School, has been vacant in recent years. That building opened in 1915 as Ravenna Township School, and is the oldest building in the district.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ravenna board to weigh 2 bids for more than $750K for ex-school
Reporting by Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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