Old Corbin Intermediate, Corbin Elementary buildings to be sold at auction
Seven months after the last students roamed the halls of the former Corbin Elementary and Corbin Intermediate School buildings, the buildings are headed to the auction block.
At Thursday’s regular meeting of the Corbin Board of Education, the board authorized Superintendent Dave Cox to seek out proposals from auction companies to sell the buildings and surplus items such as desks and tables.
Unlike when the school system sold the former Corbin East School building on Master Street in 2010, Cox said the bidding on these two buildings would involve both on-site and online bidders.
“I’m convinced that is the best way for us to get the most value out of those buildings,” Cox said.
“They are unique properties,” he said.
Each building is approximately 50,000 square feet sitting on a total of approximately 2 acres.
Cox said there had been some discussion about using the intermediate school building to allow for the expansion of the programs offered at the Corbin Area Technology Center.
Programs discussed in August included the addition of carpentry, masonry, HVAC, and plumbing.
The technology center currently offers classes in: electricity, drafting, welding, criminal justice, automotive technology, health science and EMT/fire.
However, Cox said Monday that remodeling the building to house those types of classes, and completing the necessary repairs to it would be more expensive than building a new building.
“It has really small classrooms compared to the technology center, and it needs a new roof,” Cox said.
Finally, Cox noted that the building is more than three times as large as the approximately 15,000 square feet that is needed for the expanded programs.
Cox said he will be in contact with auction companies, and will review their proposals.
He will then make a recommendation to the board, though the board is not bound by that recommendation.
“I will probably make the recommendation at the next board meeting in January,” Cox said, adding that the auction would take place 60 to 90 days after the auction company is selected.
In addition to the buildings, Cox said there are assorted items such as desks, tables and chairs, equipment and even a greenhouse, that would be put up for auction.
Before that could be done, the items would have to be declared surplus by the board.
Cox said like the buildings, KDE rules don’t permit the school system to give away the items.
The former Corbin Intermediate School is located on 17th Street. It housed fifth and sixth grades. In 2018, sixth grade was moved to the new Corbin Elementary School. At the beginning of the current school year, fifth grade moved to the remodeled high school building on Kentucky Street along with fourth grade in what is now called Corbin Elementary School.
The former Corbin Elementary School is located at the intersection of Seventh and Eighth streets. It housed third and fourth grades through the end of last school year. Third grade moved to the addition at Corbin Primary School, while fourth grade joined fifth grade at the new elementary school.