School Board buys home at 585 W. Columbia Ave. at special meeting Monday

In a 12-minute meeting on Monday afternoon April 20, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education approved the purchase of 585 W. Columbia Ave. for $150,000.
This is the third property on W. Columbia purchased by the school district, as it looks forward to use of the properties right up to Columbia Ave. for future school expansion needs.
School superintendent Pete Kudlak said the district has sought purchase of this property in the past, but the owner wasn’t interested. He said the owner called the district and said she would sell and time was of the essence. He said that’s why they held a special meeting.
Supt. Kudlak was given authority to execute the purchase agreement with a unanimous vote and the meeting adjourned. The action is up for legal review, he said.
James Williamson said the property the district bought right next to the school’s driveway still is operating as a business because the site is not needed by the district yet. A second parcel has been cleared and cleaned up and he said the new parcel might need another $15,000 to $20,000 spent to demolish the home and clean up the site.
He said this property purchase is out of the bond money and the cleanup will be out of the sinking fund.
It was noted that the parcel being purchased is in Van Buren Township and that the township will lose tax money. The adjoining school property is in the city of Belleville.
Supt. Kudlak said all the school’s construction plans go through the state.