Former school property is sold

BERNE — Sold!

By a unanimous vote Thursday, the South Adams School Board accepted a revised offer to purchase the former Berne Elementary School site at U.S. 27 and Indiana 218.

Pending an environmental inspection, which is expected to be clean, the 4.81 acre site will become the property of Biggs Indiana Properties of Decatur.

The final price was $375,000 from Biggs accompanied by a pledge of $100,000 from the Berne Community Development Corporation for a total of $475,000.

That matched the counteroffer made by the board to Biggs last week.

But it’s still $25,000 less than an offer earlier this month from Casey’s Marketing Co. of Iowa. The convenience store company had offered $500,000, but Berne residents and board members expressed opposition to having that sort of development at a key intersection directly across from the Muensterberg Plaza clock tower.

Thursday’s action was recommended by superintendent Scott Litwiller. Board members thanked attorney Tim Baker and Dave Stemen of BND Commercial Real Estate for their help in shepherding the school corporation through the process.

A $10,000 earnest money check is in the hands of BND and ready for deposit with South Adams.

Stemen said a Phase I environmental check on the property had raised no issues, and while the new owners may do some soil borings it is possible that a Phase II check will not be required.

The closing date on the transaction is Feb. 22, with an allowance for an additional 30 days at the buyer’s discretion.