No bids come in for site

No one was interested in leasing the Kettler Elementary School site from the Huntington Beach City School District on Tuesday when the district board was scheduled to open the bids.

The district’s board of trustees put the school site, which closed in 2005, up for lease to shore up some funds for the district’s ailing budget.

But shortly after 7 p.m., when the bids were ready to be announced, no one had shown interest in leasing the site.

Jon Archibald, the district’s assistant superintendent of administrative services, told the board that the district received some calls about the site, but no one seemed interested enough.

He said the district can change the criteria and try again.

“This particular lease is designed with a set of parameters,” he said. “We can go out again with different parameters.”

If the district continues to receive no interest, Archibald said, it can request a waiver from the state. A waiver would allow the district some flexibility in negotiating a lease, like in a real estate transaction, he said

Archibald said he will follow up with those who inquired about the school, look into other options and report back.

Before Archibald announced that the district received no bids for the site, a few residents shared their concerns with the board. Robert Granger said the district should be ashamed of how rundown the school is.

“I’m afraid it will be burdensome for our neighborhood,” he said. “I’m hoping some good judgment is used and you get someone in there that’s going to maintain the property.”

Nancy Wyckoff told the board vandalism has taken place at the school site. She reminded the board that the only way to the school is through the neighborhood.

“Whatever you decide, it has to be something that’s not going to put a lot of traffic and put the kids in the neighborhood at risk,” she said.

Granger and Wyckoff later said they were not surprised that no one submitted any bids for the school.

The district was looking to lease the school for five years with options to renew three more times. The minimum amount the district was looking for was $250,970.40 each year.