The Park Rapids School Board on Monday authorized High School Principal Jeff Johnson to list the building trades class’ partially completed home-building project for sale, as is.
Based on information from teacher Jeff Dravis, Johnson said, “The plumbing is done. The sheetrock is being taped right now. The rough-in electrical is done.”
Items still needing to be done before the house can be sold include final wiring and plumbing and the building inspection, he said.
Regarding whether they can legally sell a half-finished house, Johnson said the city’s building official told Dravis, “We’re about the eighth or ninth person that’s already contacted him. We’re not the only ones that are sitting in this spot. … The inspector called him back and said, ‘Yes, we’re allowing this to happen. It’s not a practice that we want to get into.’”
Johnson said the house will be sold without siding, interior doors, vaulted ceilings, blow-in insulation and inside trim.
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“I’m not sure where our economy is going to go, but we definitely don’t have the manpower to finish it,” he said, adding that even if the COVID-19 school facilities shutdown is lifted before the end of the school year, there likely wouldn’t be enough time.
Johnson said a couple potential buyers have already expressed interest.
“It may work out well,” he said, adding that allowing the buyer to add a garage and choose the siding may actually be a plus. “I think we have a market for it.”
Johnson projected a sale price of approximately $47,000, which is $15,000 less than last year’s completed building trades home.
School board member Dennis Dodge moved to proceed with the sale. The motion passed unopposed.
In consent items and general business, the school board:
Approved a resolution to hold meetings by teleconference and other electronic means.
Approved the retirement of Roxann Scholz as a custodian, with regret and thanks for her 19 years of service to the district, effective April 30.
Accepted the resignation, effective at the end of the school year, of Kaitlyn Charlson as middle school special education teacher.
Accepted the resignations of Nic Lembcke as eighth grade football coach and junior varsity girls basketball coach, Matthew Brandt as varsity boys basketball coach, Michael Lorden as ninth grade basketball coach.
Approved the quarterly student activities report.
Accepted donations totaling $23,087 from the Park Rapids Education and Activities Foundation, including: $1,440 for weight room equipment; $1,600 to Community Education for an author visit; $2,000 for softball equipment; $2,000 for band instrument maintenance; $1,000 for the BPA club to attend state convention; $6,000 for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) “Splats”; $1,200 for saws and equipment for the middle school wood shop; $2,000 each to the boys and girls track teams for hurdles; $1,500 each to the girls and boys golf teams for transportation and fees, $1,200 for baseball equipment and $4,500 for Vertimax training equipment.
Accepted donations of 35,600 lunch bags to the food service program, including 31,000 bags from Citizens National Bank.
The school board’s next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, April 20.
