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Along with McPheeters Bend Elementary, Keplar Elementary locatedon Burem Road was one of two small rural school closed in Hawkins County at the end of the 2020-21 school year as a cost savings measure.

Along with McPheeters Bend Elementary, Keplar Elementary locatedon Burem Road was one of two small rural school closed in Hawkins County at the end of the 2020-21 school year as a cost savings measure.

The Hawkins County Board of Education agreed last week to hire the Rogersville law firm of Point and Keeton to oversee the sale of Keplar Elementary School, which includes nine acres of real estate.

Along with McPheeters Bend Elementary, Keplar Elementary located on Burem Road was one of two small rural school closed in Hawkins County at the end of the 2020-21 school year as a cost savings measure.

Commission McClure Boyd made a motion during the BOE’s Sept. 1 meeting for Point and Keeton to oversee the sale through the closing, and to work on a plan that ensures the criteria and restrictions placed on the property by the BOE are put into place.

A committee appointed by Board Chairman Chris Christian established criteria for the sale of the former K-4 school.

Boyd, who was a member of the committee read that criteria aloud for the board prior to the Sept. 1 vote.

The property shall be used for single family owner occupied dwellings. All buildings and structures erected upon the property shall be of new constructions and no buildings or structures shall be moved from other locations onto the property.

No residence shall be erected, placed, or permitted to remain on a lot other than one detached single family owner occupied dwelling not to exceed two stories in height, exclusive of a basement.

No mobile homes, modular homes, campers, or manufactured homes shall be permitted. No duplex or other multi-family residences, or apartments shall be allowed. No temporary structure, tent, shack, barn, trailer, camper, or other building shall be permitted on the property.

The use of a portion of a dwelling as an office by an owner or his tenant shall not be considered to be a violation of this covenant if such use does not create regular customer, client, or employee traffic, provided that in no event shall any lot or dwelling be used as a storage area or office for any building contractor, real estate developer or real estate sales office.

The sale of Keplar is complicated by an outstanding low interest state loan that was utilized for property upgrades while the school was still open.

There are also solar panels on the property which generates $1,750 annually for the school system. The BOE had previously agreed that the sale of the Keplar would include those panels, transferring any revenue they generate to the buyer.

James Point of Point and Keeton has worked extensively with the county commission over the years as Hawkins County’s delinquent property tax attorney.

“Our hopes with utilizing Point and Keeton is that they will advertise, let it out for bid, receive the bids, and then report back to this board,” Christian said. “We will make a decision based on that. We will get a timeline — a course of events that’s going to take place on when we should wrap this thing up.”

In February the BOE agreed that it will give a church or community resource agency first priority for the purchase of Keplar. If no such organization can meet a fair market price for the property it will be listed for anyone to purchase.

Director of Schools Matt Hixson told the Review Wednesday that the church/community center priority remains in place.

Hixson noted that a value assessment hasn’t been made on the Keplar property as of yet, and that’s one of the issues the Point and Keeton will help resolve.

Hixson said three churches have expressed an interest in the Keplar property.

The BOE is also preparing to sell about a half acre of property known and the “North Fork School” which is located on Goshen Valley Road about halfway between McPheeters Bend and the Burem Road intersection.

“We had a Ruritan that occupied the old school, and utilized it for many, many years,” Christian said. “The Ruritan has since disbanded. North Fork Church was using it at one time as a community center. We let them use it when the Ruritan left, but now they don’t feel comfortable using the property.”

Christian added, “They’d be interest in purchasing it and it will be considered up for sale also, and that’s why we’re having it researched (by Point and Keeton) while we’re doing Keplar.”

Originally published on therogersvillereview.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.

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