(Spencer)– The Spencer School Board has approved a lease-purchase agreement with an artist from Michigan for the Reynolds School building.
The agreement was reached following an hour-long public hearing Thursday evening.
Michigan-based artist Tony Curiel contacted the district several months ago with an interest in purchasing the former elementary school. He plans on transforming the building into the Curiel School for the Visual Arts.
During the hearing, a majority of people wanted to know why the district wanted to sell the property. Superintendent Greg Ebeling says there was a potential the land could some day be turned into a parking lot for the High School. He says when Curiel approached them with the idea for the art school, it was a perfect solution to keep the historic building standing. Ebeling says many in the community don’t want the building torn down.
One resident wondered why the district wanted to sell the property to Curiel instead of leasing it. Ebeling says selling the property will save the district substantial money. By leasing, he says the district would have been required to pay for improvements.
A neighbor wondered if a playground on the Reynolds site would be replaced. Ebeling admitted that’s an issue the board will probably have to re-visit.
As part of the purchase agreement, Curiel will have to opportunity to lease the property for one year for a thousand dollars a month beginning April 1st. He will then purchase the property for 160-thousand dollars.
The issue now heads to the Spencer Planning and Zoning Commission. The area has to be rezoned to allow an art school in a residential neighborhood.
Tony Curiel plans to move to Spencer this spring.
(Story from Danielle Hitchings of sister station Y100 in Spencer.).
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