Holton B.O.E. approves purchase of The Gossip building for HSEC

The Holton school board, acting for the sponsoring school district of the Holton Special Education Cooperative, voted 7-0 here Monday evening to approve the HSEC purchase of the property and building located at 118 E. Fifth St. in Holton for $350,000 plus closing and title costs.

“This has been a long and well thought out process over the past three years with the cooperative advisory board,’’ said Amy Haussler, director of HSEC. “Over the course of several years, the cooperative has been tight on space for our itinerant employees our office staff. We have rented several locations and moved people around the district buildings and professional spaces in town numerous times.’’

Haussler said it was time for HSEC to find a more permanent solution “that is cost effective and fiscally responsible.’’

“This purchase will eliminate paying rent and utilities at two locations, as well as create a more efficient work environment to have all staff in one location,’’ Haussler said. “It is also important to note that the cost of this purchase is shared by the five member districts in the cooperative.’’ 

HSEC was formed in 1973 and has been renting space and paying 50 percent of the utilities at the Holton USD 336 district office along with currently renting a building on the north side of the Holton town Square for three staff members and providing storage space for all cooperative supplies, educational materials and equipment for the cooperative, plus providing a facility for staff training.

The new building for HSEC was formerly known as The Gossip and was owned by Kerwin and Carolyn McKee of Holton. According to the Jackson County Appraiser’s Office parcel search online database page, the two-level Gossip building was built in 1900 with 4,800 square feet available on each level. The total appraised value for the building and land for 2022 was set at $101,950 for tax purposes, according to the Appraiser’s Office parcel search page.

The Holton school board’s 7-0 vote followed the recommendation of the cooperative advisory board, which is made up of superintendents from the HSEC-member school districts - Prairie Hills USD 113, Onaga USD 322, Jackson Heights USD 335, Royal Valley USD 337 and Holton USD 336. 

The Holton school board also voted 7-0 to accept liability insurance coverage for the HSEC building offered through the EMC Insurance Company for $305 annually and replacement cost insurance on the building totaling $1.149 million at a cost of $1,478 annually. The coverage will be added to the existing EMC insurance policy that the Holton USD 336 district has with a policy deductible of $10,000 on all perils except wind/hail at $25,000, it was reported.

Haussler said the general contractor inspecting the building for the HSEC was impressed with how well-built the building is, noting the building’s original use as a printing company.

“If you’ve looked at the market value of property, you’ll see that everything is higher than the appraised values, and especially now. Appraised values are not the equivalent to market values. HSEC and the cooperative advisory board have researched various buildings in Holton for the last three years, and this was the only place that has been large enough to house all of our staff at the right price point.”

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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