On Tuesday night, the Morro Bay City Council approved a purchase sale agreement for Morro Elementary with the San Luis Coastal Unified School District for $5.3 million.
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Pinkerton told KSBY the school district approved the sale on Thursday, entering a period of due diligence.
“We just want to hear from the community during the due diligence period that we have in which we basically do out background check and due diligence and site as a whole, in future uses how much it would cost us to renovate, etc.,” said John Craig, Morro Bay city manager.
A deposit of $500,000 will be credited to the total price which will become non-refundable after August 31, escrow and title costs will be split evenly and closing is set by October 31.
The city has yet to decide how it will fund the purchase but some options include low interest loans with the state, financing through existing funds, or the sale of property off of Atascadero Rd.
“Formerly used as the teen center and so that was a large parcel that the city currently owns, and the appraisal came back at $2.1 million," Craig said.
It’s been discussed that the old school site could be used as a civic center or housing.
One group is already working on preserving it as a historic landmark, a process that was started back in the 90s by former teacher Guy Crab.
“He started the research on the historical designation for this school, and he got all the deeds from this property from the 1800s,” said Linda Donnelly, Friends of Morro Elementary member.
The Friends of Morro Elementary organization will have a hearing on its landmark status with the state in the coming months.
Gloria Kitzman attended Morro Elementray and so did her kids and grandchildren. One of her fondest memories is with then Principal Tognazzini.
“Taught us square dancing and we have square dancing in the auditorium, and he would teach us how to dance and we danced," Kitzman said.
There will be community meetings in April and July where residents can share their ideas about what to do with the site.
