Despite rejecting all bids twice and failing to carry a majority vote on the third attempt to sell the former Providence High School and the property surrounding it, the Webster County Board of Education plans to take up the issue again at its meeting Monday night, March 29.

The board, meeting in special session on Monday, March 22, tabled discussion of the topic after Webster County Board of Education Chairman James Nance indicated he would prefer for all board members to be present for discussion of the issue. Only four of the six board members were in attendance at the special meeting. Board members E Carolyn Tucker and Steve Henry were absent.

District officials released details of the previous bids received on the property, along with additional information concerning a parcel of property on Barbour Street which had been previously sold to a bidder in a different agreement. However, the buyers later backed down from the sale, and some on the school board have proposed grouping the Barbour Street property with the former high school complex.

According to the information provided, the bids for each of the three parcels of property included three bids for the high school itself, including two different proposals from Regan Land Trust for $263, and $1, respectively, based on “proposals” which weren’t disclosed in the media packet, and a bid from Teaxtra Hubble in the amount of $5,100. It was explained that the bid from Teaxtra Hubble was originally received after the original bids were opened, and was inadvertently left out of the group of bids reviewed the second time the board opened them.

The city of Providence, Regan Land Trust, and Charles R. Martin were identified as the three bidders on the second parcel, consisting of the shop and agriculture building. Providence’s bid for that parcel was $3,001, compared to a bid of $565 from Regan Land Trust and $2,100 from Charles Martin.

The city of Providence and Martin also bid on the third parcel, which includes the so-called “Doghouse” gymnasium, the former Providence Independent School District Board office, and the parking lot for the property. Providence’s bid was $7,000. Martin’s was $11,359.

The “bid summary” also makes mention of the Barbour Street Property.

“The sale was never finalized and (the buyers) changed their mind,” the summary states. “The property is deemed a ‘nuisance’ and the house should be torn down. If the board does rebid, the city of Providence may consider bidding as a solution to the problem.”

In other business, the board also approved two pay requests, one in the amount of $159,271 to Peyronin Construction for work on the Webster County High School renovation, and the other worth $7,000 to district architect Tim Townsend. The board then approved a bid worth approximately $83,600 for the purchase of furniture for the new WCHS Media Center, and a bid worth $4,450 to T/K Construction for construction of a new roof on the district’s migrant education facility.

The board then adjourned.