Board OKs counter on land offer

BERNE — The price is right.
But the terms and timeline need some adjustment.
South Adams School Board members unanimously agreed Wednesday that the sole bid received for the former elementary school site — $650,000 from G.K.B. Enterprises LLC of Decatur — was satisfactory, but approval of the sale is contingent upon receiving $10,000 in earnest money up-front and setting a firm Oct. 1 deadline for closing.
Board attorney Tim Baker will take the board’s counteroffer to the Decatur developer for consideration.
The counteroffer expires at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 7. If the counteroffer is rejected, the process of advertising the property for sale is repeated.
 G.K.B., which hopes to develop the site for a new CVS store, had submitted a bid which involved paying no earnest money until it had a lease agreement from CVS.
Its bid also called for a more open-ended timeline if a commitment from CVS can’t be obtained by Oct. 1.
The developer’s bid met the legal standard of exceeding 90 percent of the appraised value of the 4.8-acre site at the intersection of U.S. 27 and Ind. 218.
“Obviously there’s been a lot of discussion,” board member Tony Mellencamp said. “And not everybody agrees what we should do with that property.”
The land, now bare after the demolition of the old school building, is across U.S. 27 from Muensterberg Plaza and the new clock tower completed last year.
Some residents have complained about commercial development on that site, while others have expressed interest in having a new CVS store. Berne already has a CVS facility on U.S. 27 North.
A petition signed by more than 200 people had been submitted to the board in opposition to the sale.
“Many people in our community believe that a park with green space, a Swish Amish restaurant with quaint shops, or something similar would be best,” Berne resident Naomi Muselman said in a letter to the board. “We do not believe it is prudent to rush ahead for a quick gain that will only provide short-term financial relief.”
“I can certainly understand where some of these people are coming from,” Mellencamp said Wednesday. “It’s not that we don’t care.”
Mellencamp said the board’s choice came down to doing what it believes to be in the best interests of taxpayers.
Board president Arlene Amstutz said she was pleased that the bid sale price would more than cover the cost of demolition of the old school, which totaled more than $218,000.
Prior to reviewing G.K.B.’s bid, Baker informed the board that his law partner had done legal work for the developer in the past. The board was unanimous in reaffirming its confidence in Baker’s work.
“My job is to represent your interests,” Baker said. “I don’t want to become a problem or an issue for the board.”[[In-content Ad]]