Dubuque school board authorizes purchase and lease agreements for 2310 Cheney Road with Keystone AEA

The Dubuque Community School District Board of Education on June 22 approved a resolution authorizing the district to execute an escrow agreement and a lease agreement with Keystone Area Education Agency related to the property at 2310 Cheney Road and authorized the board president and board secretary to sign final transaction documents.

Board members and staff described the purchase as a partnership with Keystone AEA and said the district will pay $1.9 million for the property. Board discussion clarified that Keystone will be able to use roughly 3,000 square feet of the building without separate monetary exchange under the negotiated arrangement. The district said the building is move-in ready and that furniture and desk space were included in the purchase price.

Board members and staff discussed lease-term mechanics. Participants described a seven-year term structure with renewals and noted state rules limit a single lease term to seven years without additional approvals. The record includes back-and-forth about whether the agreement allows multiple seven-year renewals and what approvals would be required for terms that exceed state limits.

Board members also reviewed the property’s history. Staff said the district had sold the land to Keystone in 1995 for $1 and that the prior agreement included a first right of refusal for the district if Keystone decided to sell the property.

District staff described planned uses for the facility if the purchase is completed: relocating online school staff (about 16 workspaces), continuing use of the building for the district’s Reengagement Center (which moved into Keystone space earlier in March), and housing the district’s special education department upstairs to facilitate closer collaboration with Keystone staff.

During discussion a board member disclosed serving on both the Keystone AEA board and the school board and announced an abstention from the vote. In the subsequent roll call vote, Member Bradley recorded an abstention; Hingtgen, Parks, Prochaska, Sainci and Wittman recorded aye votes and the motion carried. The board’s action authorizes district officers to finalize documents on the transaction.

The district did not record any required repairs or build-outs to occupy the building and said staff expect little immediate capital expense. The board offered congratulations to both parties and moved on to the next agenda item.