Board approves plan for city hall

The Elkhorn school district has a plan to put the former Elkhorn City Hall back in business — school business.

The school board Monday approved an agreement to buy the building from the City of Omaha for the appraised value of $375,000. The building came to the city as part of its 2007 annexation of Elkhorn.

The Omaha City Council would have to approve the sale. The two council members who represent the Elkhorn area said they don't anticipate opposition to the proposed sale from fellow council members.

Elkhorn Public Schools Superintendent Steve Baker said the school district plans to relocate its special services department to the main floor of the building.

The school district's administrative offices, just across the street, are running out of space, he said. The special services department includes special education and gifted and talented programs, among others.

Baker said the main floor would require some renovation to bring the space into compliance with the requirements of the federal Americans With Disabilities Act but said he envisions being able to move over the summer.

“It would be valuable space without a whole lot of work on that main level,” he said.

To finance the purchase and the renovation, the district would tap a portion of the roughly $1 million in federal stimulus funds it has received for special education.

That one-time allotment runs out in two years, so the district doesn't want to invest the money in personnel, he said. And, officials said, use of those funds would allow the district to buy the building without using local tax dollars.

“This to us is a great investment for those funds,” he said. “And it would be a great thing for the community to fill the building.”

The school district could immediately fill the separate garage with vehicles used to transport special education students, he said. It has no definite plans for the lower floor of the building, once home to the former Elkhorn Police Department.

Paul Kratz, a city attorney for Omaha, said the agreement could go to the City Council within the next few weeks.

Omaha City Councilman Franklin Thompson, who represents the area, said the district's proposal probably is the best use of the building.

“I'm glad we're doing something with it and not just letting it sit empty and idle,” he said.

Councilwoman Jean Stothert, who also represents part of Elkhorn, said Omaha doesn't have a lot of use for the property. But it is part of Elkhorn's history.

“We're happy that it worked out the way it did,” she said.

Contact the writer:

444-1223, julie.anderson@owh.com

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