WILLMAR -- Affiliated Community Medical Centers has offered to buy the Washington school building from the Willmar Schools.
The Washington Learning Center is located next to the parking lot of the ACMC clinic in Willmar. The clinic sent a purchase agreement to the school district a week ago. The School Board discussed it briefly at its meeting this week.
The proposed purchase price was not disclosed at the meeting. Superintendent Kathy Leedom said the board would need to discuss the proposed purchase at future meetings. The clinic wants to have an agreement on the sale by March 1, though the district won't have to vacate the property then, she said.
Washington currently houses the Community Education and Recreation Department, Adult Basic Education, Head Start and other pre-school programs.
A skateboard park is also on the Washington property.
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"This is all just unfolding," Leedom said, and the district will need some time to find appropriate new quarters for the programs.
The future of the Washington building has been discussed before, and clinic officials have expressed an interest in the building.
However, this is the first formal offer made.
"It's exciting to finally have it on paper," said Board Chairman Dion Warne, and the clinic's initial offer allows the district to begin negotiating.
In November 2004, Clinic Administrator Terry Tone spoke with the Willmar School Board about the Washington property.
"We need to do something," because the clinic building is at capacity, he said.
If the clinic purchased the Washington property, the land would probably be used for parking, he said.
In other business:
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- Leedom announced that she has developed an hour-long "Cardinal Clips" program about her travels with the state's trade mission to China.
The show will be shown on cable channel 19 at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and at 8 p.m. on Saturdays through January.
- The board voted to expel a female senior high student for the rest of the school year for possession of weapons and drug paraphernalia.
- Three members of the Willmar Public Schools Foundation Board -- Brad Schmidt, Bobbie Mattison and Jeff Olson -- were appointed to new three-year terms.
- The Willmar School Board's next meeting will be a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to review and vote on approving the teachers' union contract.
