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Prescott board weighs sale of intermediate school; schedules public listening session and gym‑replacement planning
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Summary
District administrators reported multiple market valuations for the intermediate school, legal checks on bond/refendum limits, and options to lease back the gym; trustees asked for a standalone public listening session, coordination with the city on zoning and timeline, and a plan for replacing gym space if sold.
Prescott School District administrators reported market valuations and legal options for the district’s intermediate school and asked the school board to set a public listening session before any sale listing.
At the meeting the administration said two broker estimates are on the table: TELUS Realty provided a $3,000,000 valuation while REMAX offered roughly $2.5 million (plus or minus about $250,000). An administrator told the board the district has consulted bond counsel about whether the property may be sold given prior referendum and bond constraints and that the board could choose either a realtor (commission basis) or a real‑estate lawyer (hourly fees) to handle listings and negotiations.
"TELUS Realty gave us a $3,000,000 evaluation of the intermediate school," the administrator said, adding that both brokers suggested likely reuse options such as senior housing or luxury condominiums. The administrator also warned that, unless the board explicitly retained the gym by requiring a lease-back, a sale would transfer control of the property and the district would have limited influence over future use.
Board members repeatedly urged more community engagement before any listing. One trustee said a separate listening session should be held — outside the regular agenda — to give residents a focused opportunity to ask questions and offer alternatives. Trustees also flagged the need to coordinate with the city on zoning, entitlements and permitting timelines that would affect developers’ feasibility studies.
Trustees pressed the administration to include a concrete plan and timeline for replacing or preserving gym space if that facility is part of a sale. "The gym’s face to me," one trustee said. "We’ve got to have a plan in place and a timeline for how we replace that gym if that is part of the sale. We can’t go without a gym for more than a year, in my opinion." Administrators agreed to analyze options and to obtain more detailed cost estimates for adding gym capacity to the high school before the board advances a final decision.
The administration proposed multiple listing strategies (listing now to test market interest vs. delaying listing until after additional outreach) and said there is no immediate rush: the district will continue using the intermediate building through the 2026–27 school year. Trustees asked the administration to invite REMAX to present its comparables at a future meeting and to schedule a standalone public listening session; the board signaled a preference to move deliberately rather than rush a sale.
Next steps the administration outlined include further cost estimates for adding a gym at the high school, soliciting feedback from the public at a listening session, and returning with more detailed scenarios and legal guidance for board consideration. No formal sale motion was made at the meeting.
