The Churchill County School District Board of Trustees of briefly discussed whether to take action to direct staff concerning the future of an abandoned school building in the ghost-town of Stillwater during their meeting last week.
The Stillwater School at 11320 Stillwater Road is owned but has not been used by the district for many years, said board legal counsel Sharla Hales.
“The building is not worth a lot of money and organizations in the area are keeping it maintained,” she said.
Hales said if the district wants to use the property again, there are positives and negatives to the process.
The building has no designation restrictions since its not registered as a historical site, unlike the Harmon School in Fallon, Hales said.
However, if the school board goes forward with this plan, there are budget challenges and appraisals to cover—which could get pretty expensive, Hales said.
“There’s also a fairness concern,” she said. “The organizations maintaining the building will want a portion of the money.”
Other issues also include safety and liability because of the current conditions of the building, and ownership with people responsible for the property.
Trustee Carmen Schank suggested to lease the building per year and use it cordially with Stillwater organizations.
However, a lease may be limited to so many years, Hales said.
The topic is expected to be discussed in the next scheduled school board meeting Jan. 24, with presentations on more background work before moving forward.