By CARL E. FEATHER - Staff Writer - cfeather@starbeacon.com
A garage sale on Halloween will give buyers a chance to pick up a few outdated and unneeded “treats” from Buckeye Local Schools.
The garage sale is being held in where else? — the bus garage at the former Pierpont Elementary building. The sale is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 31.
Superintendent Nancy Williams says the sale is being held to dispose of items the district no longer needs. The volume was not large enough to meet the state requirements for holding an auction, so the district is taking a garage sale approach, instead.
Items are coming in from all of the district’s buildings, but Williams said the majority of the merchandise will come from the Pierpont building, which was closed in June. She said furniture, educational materials and other items from Pierpont that can be used elsewhere in the district have been moved out or are in the process of being removed.
Shoppers can expect to find old books, furniture, equipment and a few surprises at the four-hour garage sale. Items will be priced, but as with most garage sales, the district will listen to offers. Cash or check will be accepted.
Six days later, in the board office, the former school building and a 3.48-acre parcel will be offered at auction. The bidding will start at the appraised amount, $165,000.
Williams said the district has received a couple of inquiries from interested parties. Any person or group interested in buying the property and wanting to walk through the building prior to the sale should contact the administration office for a tour.
A private sale of a 1.219-acre parcel and the bus garage is under way. The sale to Pierpont Township Trustees in is negotiation and a price has not been settled upon. The appraisal was $36,000. The district is allowed to conduct a private sale of property to a government entity without first offering it as a public sale.
Williams said if the school building does not sell at the public auction, it can then go to private sale. That was the case with the Lincoln Elementary building — immediately after the public auction failed to bring the opening bid, a buyer made an offer as a private sale.
