HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The real estate purchase agreement for the city property adjacent to Obee School is on the agenda for the Hutchinson City Council on Tuesday.
According to the meeting agenda, Obee School has been part of Buhler USD 313 since 1962. The school operated as a K-6 elementary school until it’s closure in 2017.
The main structure of the school itself is located in Reno County, however the Hutchinson City limits follow the north side of the building footprint. The school district also built several outbuildings inside the City limits, specifically on airport property. The school district had a lease agreement with the City of Hutchinson that included airport property that was used for the playground and sports fields. These leased properties were enclosed with a city owned and airport maintained perimeter fence. After the school’s closure in 2017, the school district sought to sell the school building.
During conversations and as part of the appraisal process of the property, it was determined that in order to make the sale more likely, portion of the property that were owned by the City of Hutchinson and leased to the school district should be included in the sale. After several iterations of what portions of the property could be sold as well as what made the most sense from an ownership standpoint, an agreement was made with T Real Estate LLC (buyer), Buhler School District 313 and the City of Hutchinson to include a portion of the City/Airport owned property as part of the overall school building sale.
Because the subject property to be sold is part of the airport and therefore falls under multiple federal codes, laws, regulations as well as federal obligations agreed to as part of FAA grant assurances, there is a process by which these federal obligations must be released. This process includes updating the Airport Master Plan, Airport Layout Plan and the Airport Boundary survey as well as updating legal descriptions and coordinating with the FAA. This process is best performed by a qualified airport engineering consultant.
The Council would be approving the sale of the adjacent property contingent upon FAA approval. The city would gain $7,540 if the sale goes through, but the city's third of the required survey by HW Lochner is $4,916.66 and they have to pay that whether the FAA approves the sale or not. The other two thirds of the survey are to be paid by the buyer, T Real Estate and by USD 313.
The Hutchinson City Council will meet Tuesday at 9 a.m. at City Hall.