It’s by no means a done deal, but Oxford Community Schools is negotiating to purchase a local church and its land in order to house a number of the district’s childcare and pre-kindergarten programs.
‘It’s the least expensive way for us to add capacity ? buy an existing facility and re-purpose it,? said Superintendent Dr. William Skilling, noting new construction costs about $180 per square foot. ‘This saves us a lot of money.?
The district is interested in purchasing the 15,728-square-foot building owned and occupied by First Baptist Church of Oxford (150 Pontiac St.) and the 7.35 acres it sits on within the village limits.
According to First Baptist Pastor James Kester, the church is looking to house itself in another building that better accommodates the needs of its approximately 118 members.
‘We know that we can be more effective with a building that’s a lot more user-friendly,? he said.
Kester noted the church’s current facility was built in the 1960s and has been ‘very functional for almost 50 years,? however, First Baptist feels it ‘could probably do a whole lot better job? for its membership with more accessible building.
An appraisal commissioned by the district determined the church property’s value to be $950,000, according to Tim Loock, assistant superintendent of business and operations.
‘We have a verbal understanding (with the church) that ($950,000) is an agreeable price,? Skilling said.
Should the district buy the property, it has allocated $1.5 million in its $32.7 million bond proposal, set to go before voters as Question #1 on the Nov. 3 ballot, to cover the land acquisition and building renovation.
That amount includes of $750,000 for the purchase and $750,000 for renovations.
Since it appears the purchase price will be higher than originally anticipated, Skilling said the district could decide to make a large down payment and pay the rest off over time.
For example, with a price tag of $950,000, he said the district could put $500,000 down and pay $45,000 per year for 10 years. ‘That way we’d have more money available to do the renovation work,? the superintendent said.
Skilling indicated the district would not want to dip into the $750,000 budgeted for renovations in the bond proposal.
‘We would need that full amount (according to the architect and engineer),? he said.
Ultimately, Skilling said the potential purchase is about ‘creating additional classroom capacity? at the elementary schools by moving a yet-to-be-determined number of childcare and pre-kindergarten programs to the church.
‘There’s quite a bit of capacity there,? he said. ‘It would meet all the current needs and allow for some future growth in the childcare program.?
Skilling noted not all the childcare and pre-kindergarten programs would be housed at the church.
‘It would be so inconvenient for Leonard parents to have preschool in the middle of town,? he said. ‘There would be a couple programs that we would keep at Leonard.?
Extra capacity is needed at the elementary schools due to the new all-day, everyday kindergarten, which begins next month, and the potential for future growth in enrollment.
‘We had to double the number of (kindergarten) classrooms this year just to handle the all-day kindergarten,? Skilling said.
As for the athletic field located next to the church, Skilling indicated it could be used by the district for soccer and lacrosse practice. The Oxford Jr. Wildcats football team along with township parks and recreation programs could also have access to the field.
‘It would be a multiple use,? Skilling said.
Even if the district and church manage to hammer out an agreement, ultimately, it’s the voters who will decide whether or not the sale goes through.
‘Certainly, the bond proposal needs to pass in order for this deal to happen,? Loock said.
Any purchase agreement between the district and First Baptist Church would have to be contingent on the $32.7 million bond’s approval at the polls.
‘If this bond were to pass in November, (the church property) potentially could be available to us in the fall of 2010. But not later than 2011,? Skilling noted. ‘I’m not sure what the construction time period would be to bring it up to code.?
As for where First Baptist Church plans to move to, that hasn’t been determined yet.
‘As long as we don’t have a deed in hand and haven’t purchased any property, we don’t know where we’re going,? Kester said. ‘We know that we have church members who own all kinds of properties. We also know that there are properties for sale in the community. But to officially say anything is way premature.?
First Baptist Church of Oxford has been faithfully serving the community for 161 years.
‘We had to double the number of (kindergarten) classrooms this year just to handle the all-day kindergarten,? Skilling said.
As for the athletic field located next to the church, Skilling indicated it could be used by the district for soccer and lacrosse practice. The Oxford Jr. Wildcats football team along with township parks and recreation programs could also have access to the field.
‘It would be a multiple use,? Skilling said.
Even if the district and church manage to hammer out an agreement, ultimately, it’s the voters who will decide whether or not the sale goes through.
‘Certainly, the bond proposal needs to pass in order for this deal to happen,? Loock said.
Any purchase agreement between the district and First Baptist Church would have to be contingent on the $32.7 million bond’s approval at the polls.
‘If this bond were to pass in November, (the church property) potentially could be available to us in the fall of 2010. But not later than 2011,? Skilling noted. ‘I’m not sure what the construction time period would be to bring it up to code.?
As for where First Baptist Church plans to move to, that hasn’t been determined yet.
‘As long as we don’t have a deed in hand and haven’t purchased any property, we don’t know where we’re going,? Kester said. ‘We know that we have church members who own all kinds of properties. We also know that there are properties for sale in the community. But to officially say anything is way premature.?
First Baptist Church of Oxford has been faithfully serving the community for 161 years.