PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School Board has approved a purchase and sale agreement for the property that once was the site of Fairview Elementary School.
The board unanimously approved last week the agreement with Kurt Jafay of Sequim for $814,000 for the 9.48 acres at 166 Lake Farm Road.
“Glad to have somebody buy it,” Board member Patti Happe said at the Thursday meeting.
No one spoke at a public hearing on the agreement.
Superintendent Jane Pryne said Friday the sale will not close for 180 days.
During that time, Jafay will inspect the building to ensure it can still be used for what he intends — whatever that may be.
Pryne did not know what use Jafay intends.
“We asked, and they said it was confidential,” Pryne said.
Jafay has not announced what he intends to do with the property or whether he is making the offer for himself or on behalf of a client.
James Alcaraz of Torres Real Estate in Sequim has said the intended use of the property would put it back on Clallam County’s tax rolls. Public or nonprofit-owned property is exempt from property taxes.
Reached for comment by phone Friday, Alcaraz directed questions to the school district or Jafay.
Pryne said the school district also has 90 days, running concurrently within the 180-day window, to have an inspection done on the building’s septic system and ensure the building complies with other county requirements.
With the purchase and sale agreement approved, Pryne said the district superintendent has the authority to sign off on the sale once the 180 days have passed.
Fairview Elementary was closed in 2007 because of declining enrollment.
In March 2013, the School Board put the property on the market, at least partially to help fund the planned replacement of aging schools in the district.
The Fairview property was appraised at $904,000 in February 2013.
The appraisal, completed by Rick Wells of Silverdale, noted that the building had been vacant for years.
Reduced or deferred maintenance had resulted in peeling paint, a broken window, moss growth on shingles and vegetation on sidewalks, the driveway and roof surfaces, he said.
________
Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
