MLK To Be Sold or Put Into a Long-Term Lease

From reader DJ,

''Sorry, didn't know where to post this or where to find the confirming information, but this piece was on the CD News:

http://centraldistrictnews.com/2009/09/30/two-competing-proposals-for-mlk-school

Is the district indeed selling, as opposed to retaining, the MLK building?"

The answer is yes but it also includes the option for a long-term lease (20 years or more). Here is the information from the SPS website.

From the School Use Advisory Committee for MLK Elementary School document:

"The residential makeup surrounding MLK School is principally single-family homes. All members of the committee and other nearby neighbors expressed their desire to retain the quality of life that reflects the residential character of the neighborhood. Some of the concerns expressed both by committee members and other community members were traffic, parking, security, lighting and noise; and minimizing their impacts on the neighborhood. The second and third meetings delved into the type of uses and explored the conditions for re-use of MLK School. From the discussion at the third meeting and subsequent meetings, a draft report was prepared that was the basis of the committee’s final recommendations for criteria."

Background from the document (please note that I did cut and paste from the document in order to provide continuity):

"MLK School was built in 1930. It is a building inside a 1958 building. SPS did a study and the maintenance needs of the school amount to several million dollars to bring the building to code. The building is aging and needs help to be a home for any group that would occupy it. The school program was closed in June 2006. In January 2008, SPS decided to change the status of MLK School from the list of inventory to surplus. The school is two acres and the normal size for schools is four acres so MLK School is too small a site to be reopened as an elementary school. In March, the school board adopted a policy on how to rent or sell buildings."

The choices are sell to the Bush school, a highly-regarded private K-12 school right behind MLK, or have a community group lease it for a community center (somewhat like University Heights). The community has expressed a big desire for a playfield/playground area for their neighborhood.

From the Central District News story:

"Adrienne (Bailey, a Madison Valley resident) has been working with the Citizens for a Community Center at M.L. King (CCC@MLKing) group for more than two years to get that piece of community back by organizing other community leaders, city officials, and state legislators to turn the school into an official community center for Madison Valley. They're working on a proposal to purchase the school, recently appraised at $2.4 million, and turn it over to the community for its use. Funds would come from a variety of sources, including a pot of state money that has been specifically dedicated for this sort of purpose."

"The neighboring Bush School has a different vision. They've been expanding steadily for years, adding new buildings to accommodate their 580 students in grades K-8. But the density of their educational buildings has left out one thing that is typically found at schools: space for playfields.

We spoke to Maia Kaz, Director of Communications for the school, who described the availability of the MLK property as "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the school to expand its campus and facilities on an adjacent property." Bush School administrators don't want to lose that opportunity, and plan to submit a proposal to purchase the MLK property from Seattle Schools and use it to create playfields for the school's PE and athletic programs.

Kaz stressed that they've tried to be completely open about their intentions for the property by attending community meetings and participating in the public process that has led up to the sale. She also says that the school is committed to share the play fields with the surrounding community whenever they're not in use by the school."

Dates:

Deadline for Questions or Clarifications: October 1, 2009 – 2:00 p.m.
Addendum issued, if required: October 6, 2009
Submission of Proposals due: October 15, 2009 – 2:00 p.m.
Selection of Finalists: November 2009 (estimated)
School Board determination of whether to
negotiate with selected proposers: December 2009 (if required)
Clarification of Proposals / Negotiations: December 2009 (estimated)
Selection of Successful Lessee/Buyer: January 2010 (estimated)
Introduction to School Board: January 6, 2010 (estimated)
Action by School Board: January 20, 2010 (estimated)
Execution of Lease or Sale Agreement: January 31, 2010 (estimated)
Closing of Sale: April 30, 2010 (estimated)

Folks, we really are holding onto way too many buildings. The district can't maintain them all (or protect them all as evidenced by Viewlands). We clearly aren't using them ourselves nor leasing them. Strategic planning i.e. holding onto the buildings in the best condition and in different areas of the city might be a good place to start. Yes, we see that having extra buildings is important because of the North end enrollment issues but if you do short to mid-term leases, then you have the option to get them back.

Then the issue becomes this: is it best to give preference to community uses (even if it is less money for the district) or to get the highest price and plow the money back into facilities?

Comments

wseadawg said…
Before we go biting onto the idea that we'll have less and less kids living in the City, read: Why Your World is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller, by Jeff Rubin. When Oil Prices skyrocket again, and it starts costing more to transport goods from China than to make them here, we will see a reversal of Globalization at the international level, and a reverse of sprawl at the local level.

Chris Jackins will look like Nostradamus when that happens.

We should absolutely not sell the properties. Leases are fine, especially to community groups who can take care of the properties. And you're right, MW, the district can't take care of the properties it has in use, let alone those mothballed.

But the absolute worst rationale is that we can "use that money elsewhere," etc. Real Estate assets will recover and increase because they have to. Seattle, like everywhere else in the West, will continue to grow rapidly. We can't stop it. We also can't afford to trade long term assets for short term cash that will burn up in one year.
Sahila said…
I agree with wseadawg...

I think the school should be leased out to community groups... not have valuable inner city real estate bought by an entity where only a few of our (mostly already advantaged) children will get the benefit of using it...
Sahila said…
Or, move in some of the administration people...

Have already said that admin ought to be split up and moved into all the empty buildings on the edge of the inner city - perfectly possible for them to work cross-functionally with technology - and that that management monstrosity in the middle of the city ought to be sold of or leased out...
TechyMom said…
"and that that management monstrosity in the middle of the city ought to be sold of or leased out"

Or turned into a high school. It still baffles me that there isn't a high school downtown.

Oh, and it seems totally possible to use the building for admin staff during the day and community groups in the evening, with the playground open from dawn until the community groups close up, say 9 or 10 pm.

Not that I think that will ever happen...
Central Mom said…
If the money can be found, let the community buy it, and lease time on the fields to Bush to help finance it...vs Bush buying it and giving extra time to the neighborhood. The site is too small to meet state standards for schools. It is unlikely to ever be used as a public school again. But the community should still benefit, if financially possible, from what has been a publicly funded facility for years. Putting the building into private hands removes the community from this property into perpetuity.
Anonymous said…
Some sort of co-op lease agreement with The Bush School sounds ideal. I live near Ross Playfield and nearby, private Pacific Crest School uses it for P.E. and recess. I don't know whether they pay for the use (probably not), but it is definitely a win-win situation. Before the school started using it most weekdays there was a real problem with vagrants hanging out there. Heavy daytime use seems to be a key for parks to feel safe. Bush is a larger school and presumeably needs the fields in a more organized way than tiny Pacific Crest, so probably they would need a lease agreeement to preserve their priority.
WenD said…
I agree with the other objections stated. Leasing sounds like the best option.

Historically, SPS seems to operate with a short-term view. I'm not sure what the long-term gain would be from selling the MLK site right now.
ParentofThree said…
Lease it to the highest bidder.
rugles said…
Reopen it, hook up with the Bush School in some sort of hybrid public private partnership with some shared classes, add some outside funding, make it an elementary with a focus-music. language etc, target the free lunch kids. Something,anything, just not more round up the usual suspects please.
WallingfordMom said…
Lisa said: I live near Ross Playfield and nearby, private Pacific Crest School uses it for P.E. and recess. I don't know whether they pay for the use (probably not), but it is definitely a win-win situation.

I have wondered if they pay to use it as well. Same for the (public) Meridian Park and (private) Meridian school. Personally, I hope they do have to pay the city some sort of fee, because -- at least with the Meridian park -- those kids really take over the playground during their recess.
sixwrens said…
I wonder what the justification was for selling QA high school. They should keep & lease the property.
dj said…
I don't know if the community center folks would be willing to lease the property, but to my understanding, the Bush School is not willing to lease it (someone can correct me if I am wrong about this; my source is "members of the community with whom I have spoken," and what they have said is that the Bush school will buy, but not lease, the property, because of the changes they wish to make to it).

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