Real estate issues captured the focus of Haven USD 312 school board members Monday night.
The board voted 6-1 — Dustin Carmichael cast the dissenting vote — to counter Plainview Mennonite Church’s offer to buy the closed Partridge Grade School. Plainview Mennonite Church, 5610 W. Trail West Rd., is about four miles from Partridge. It uses the old Partridge school for its youth ministry program. In May 2018, USD 312 closed the newer school, constructed in 2000. The church wants to buy that property for its youth ministry.
A couple of months ago, the church made an offer to buy the school, contingent on receiving a grant. The board, cool to the idea of a contingency, did not not take the offer.
A representative of the church, Steve Sears, presented a new offer that did not contain the contingency language but still is based on the church getting a grant during the next 12 months and delaying the close on the purchase until spring 2020. Sears said the grant-writer for the church is optimistic, but the grant source has not been identified. He also said they can’t apply for the grant until the church has a contract to buy the school building.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)