Old Corbin school buildings will be sold via auction

The Corbin Board of Education took the next step in selling off the former elementary and intermediate school properties, along with remaining equipment and furnishings at its regular monthly meeting Thursday night. Interstate Auction and Realty was chosen as the auctioneer.

The board voted in December to authorize Superintendent Dave Cox to seek out proposals from auction companies to sell the buildings and surplus items

Cox told the board Thursday that he spoke with two of the premier local auction companies, Interstate Auction and Ford Brothers.

As part of the process, he was able to speak with representatives from both companies.

Based on those conversations, Cox recommended to the board that Interstate Auction be contracted to oversee the auction.

The board unanimously approved the recommendation, authorizing Cox to sign any and all necessary documentation.

Cox said the goal is to hold the auction of the surplus items within the next month.

School system employees are in the process of cleaning out the trash and moving the items to be sold to a central location within each building.

Once that is completed, a list of available items will be published.

Cox said the available items will be sold via sealed bids as opposed to a live auction.

The two buildings have been empty since the beginning of the school year when the addition at Corbin Primary School and the renovations to the former Corbin Middle School were completed.

The third-grade classes moved to the primary school, while fourth and fifth grades are now housed in the building known as the Corbin Traditional School because it originally served as the high school.

No timetable has been set to auction the buildings, though Cox said previously he expected it to occur 60 to 90 days after the auction company was selected.

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.

The board also approved the school calendar for the 2020–21 school year.

Classes will begin with a half day on Aug. 19. Fall break will be Oct. 10-18. Christmas break will begin following a half day of school on Dec. 17 and classes will resume on Jan. 4. Spring break will be April 3-11, 2021, with the last day of school set for May 21, 2021.