Bus barn sale contingent on zoning change

McCOOK, Nebraska --The sale of McCook School district property on West Q will be held up for a while, contingent on the re-zoning of the property.

The bus barn property on West Q Street, approximately three and half acres with metal buildings, was listed by the school district for $175,000. Superintendent Grant Norgaard told the school board at the regular meeting Monday night that the property has been sold but the sale is not final until the area is re-zoned.

The McCook Planning Commission will hear the request Sept. 14 from HCC Leasing, a storage unit company, to rezone the property from residential medium density to business commercial district.

Funds from the sale of the bus barn property will fund improvements at the armory building, where the district plans to move its vehicles.

District vehicles stored on the bus barn property, that will be moved to the former Armory when improvements are completed, include over-the-road "Bison" buses, yellow route buses and passenger vans.

In other administrative and board comments, board member Shane Messersmith said that the board is responsible for hiring/firing the superintendent and creating school policy. As such, any administrator or teacher who is asking students to change their class schedule so they can participate in an activity should be "fired on the spot."

"The board of education ... we're here to educate our kids, that's why we're here," Messersmith said.

Board member Sandy Kyrsl then commented that it is the board's responsibility to be informed before bringing things to the public.

"Let's make sure we can put our support behind people who need our support," she said.

Board president Tom Bredvick agreed and said concerns should first be brought to administration, to which Messersmith responded that he had already done that.