Williams Bay hopes to finalize sale of old elementary school
By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
Williams Bay School District Superintendent Wayne Anderson said last week the district has a potential buyer for Williams Bay Elementary School, a tally mark in the pro column for everyone.
Anderson said while the sale hasn’t been finalized, the district has accepted an offer on the elementary school, built in 1916. He said the buyer is in the midst of a transition period where the buyer is making sure everything is in place to make the purchase possible.
“Everything looks good for the sale of our elementary school,” Anderson said.
In fact, Anderson said the district actually received three separate offers for the building and that if the sale were to fall through, there are still two other interested parties the district could discuss possibilities with.
“It looks like it’s fairly certain that we’ll be able to sell our elementary building,” he said.
Anderson said this is a positive move for the district, saving additional dollars as the district had about $450,000 set aside to cover the cost of demolition of the 1916 building.
Anderson said in the event that the sale is finalized, the money saved through not demolishing the old building would be able to be allocated somewhere else or given back to the public.
He said factoring in money earned from the sale of the building, the district would end up well-ahead of where they would be otherwise. Additionally, he said the money would end up back on the public tax roll, increasing the value of the district.
“That’s a win-win,” he said.
As for what the potential buyer plans to do with the old elementary school, Anderson said it’s his understanding the buyer is inspecting the building at this time and reviewing the potential use. He said he thinks the buyer intends to make housing units of some type and is determining what parts of the building could be “left up” and used in this manner and using the rest of the land to build units.
Anderson said he thinks the portion that’s gotten he most serious look is the building’s original section from 1916 because of its historic nature.
“I don’t know what their plans are, but I think it’s something residential in nature,” he said.
Regardless, Anderson said with the sale of the building, any future demolition at the site would not involve the district and the district would not incur any costs.
As for construction at the new addition to Williams Bay High School, Anderson said the unseasonably warm weather has been incredibly helpful and work at the site is going as well as can be expected.
“It doesn’t look like we’ll have a white Christmas, but overall it’s something that will be beneficial to at least the building project,” he said.
For more of an update on construction out at Williams Bay High School, how the project is coming along and what to expect from the district’s Vision and History walls, look for a story in next week’s paper.
