Grant Deuel School Requests Funds Transfer

Grant-Deuel School Superintendent Al Stewart and Jon Wold, school board president, attended the Grant County Commissioners meeting on April 4, to discuss the transfer of funds to Grant County upon the dissolution of the Grant-Deuel School District. The district is set to dissolve on June 30.

“We are asking you, the county, if we (Grant-Deuel School) give you money, can you have that set aside specifically for the purpose of dealing with the school building and land, whether it be for renovation or destruction, when that time comes?” asked Stewart. Stewart explained a non-profit Spirit of the Cats Foundation was formed by patrons of the school district. They did so to provide an entity to take over ownership of the building and land – approximately 25 acres.

“The goal for the foundation is to continue to seek out a private buyer for the building and property,” stated Wold. The school board has been actively trying to sell the property for over a year, but is unlikely to do so before the June 30 closing. “The foundation will be a vehicle to allow more time to find a buyer.”

“We know at some point down the road, the foundation will, more than likely, not have the money to keep the building and grounds maintained,” Stewart noted. “So what we are asking the county is, if we can give the county money to be used at some point in the future, will you accept the donation of the building and property and use that money to take care of it as the county sees fit?”

Wold added approximately $200,000 could be given to the county if an agreement is reached. The school board will also be giving funds to the foundation to provide for the maintenance of the building until it can be sold or the funds are depleted.
The commissioners consulted with States Attorney, Mark Reedstrom, who indicated an agreement could be drafted. “We can draw this up, I just need to know any conditions you want to put on it as well as any kind of a timeline for using this money.” The commissioners instructed Reedstrom to draw up an initial agreement to review at the board’s May 2 meeting.