Former school sold at auction
MT. MORRIS – The former Perry Elementary School near Mt. Morris was sold at auction last week four years after Central Greene School District closed the building.
The Joe R. Pyle auction service sold the building on behalf of the school district Nov. 19 to Richard Smith of Mt. Morris for $341,000.
Central Greene School District will receive $310,000.
“I didn’t think that we would get that much for the property,” Central Greene Superintendent Brian Uplinger said.
The district has been trying to sell the building and 11.47 acres of land for more than three years.
“Several attempts at selling the property were unsuccessful, which included sealed bids and the use of a realtor,” Uplinger said. “There is not a lot of need for school properties just because of the way they are designed.”
The school was built in 1960 and had about 120 students each year while in service.
Multiple renovations took place at the school during the 50 years of operation, including asbestos removal and major system replacements to the boiler. The school shut its doors in 2011 because of low enrollment numbers and to save money. It consolidated classes into the new Central Greene Elementary School.
“The proceeds from the sale will be utilized for repairs needed across the district such as paving projects, roofing issues and other concerns,” Uplinger said.
Mineral rights were not included in the sale.
The district recently purchased nearly 17 acres of vacant land near the high school football stadium for $550,000.
Uplinger has said he hopes the district can use the land to build a new middle school to have all school buildings on a single campus.