District will sell independent school

The Whitefish School Board has decided to sell the independent high school building in preparation of moving the program into the new high school.

The independent program will remain separate, and will be housed in its own section of the new high school building when it opens in 2014. The board voted in October to relocate the independent school after it became apparent that for the program to continue it might require eliminating its separate building.

The board Dec. 11 voted 6-1 in favor of selling the property. Trustee Charlie Abell voted against the sale stating that he is still against moving the independent school into the new high school.

The independent is currently located in a former church building on Park Avenue and Seventh Street.

The district received an analysis from a local real estate agent who estimated the value of the property to be about $459,000. The building was constructed in the 1950s and is about 8,000 square feet. The property is zoned high density residential and has the potential for commercial use if a conditional use permit was granted.

The district intends to retain possession of the building until summer of 2014, but is now going out for request for proposals to hire a real estate agent.

The timetable for reviewing the real estate agent proposals hasn’t yet been set, Trustee Dave Fern noted.

“We don’t know how long it will take,” Fern said. “It should be noted that the receipts of this sale will go to the high school one way or another.”

The independent high school has been figured into the overall $19 million budget for the school’s construction. The estimate for locating the independent in the new high school is about $450,000.