EH Schools former Bunker Hill admin building sold
The former school building in Bunker Hill has served as the administration building for East Holmes Schools for many years. It became available for auction after the district built a new building on land across the road from the Reese Center near the high school.
For many years the former schoolhouse at Bunker Hill has served as the central office administrative building for East Holmes Schools.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, the property was sold at auction, and the new owner won’t have to go very far to reach the property.
Owen Yoder, whose homestead abuts the central office property, purchased the building and land for $425,000 in a bidding war, and the district also sold all the building’s contents.
The auction took place at the new East Holmes Administration Building across the road from the Reese Center at Hiland High School, where the East Holmes staff now has much more room to work in an updated workspace that has allowed all the workforce to convene under one roof, with the district’s new bus garage also connected to the facility.
East Holmes Schools Superintendent Erik Beun said while the Bunker Hill building served its purpose, moving into the new facility was a huge boon for the district, and while there was some sentimentality in seeing the old building sold, it was good to see it go to someone who the district knows will appreciate it.
“The buyer has been a tremendous neighbor to us, and his family has used part of the property for some years, so it’s always a positive thing when a neighbor can continue to utilize the property,” Beun said. “We think this is a real positive thing.”
Yoder said he didn’t have immediate plans for the building, and time will tell what takes place.
As for the funds generated by the sale, Beun said the proceeds will go directly into the general fund as part of the permanent improvement/capital improvement fund to be used as the district continues to work on its other buildings throughout the district.
“These funds will go a long way in supporting our effort to make our other buildings the best they can be,” Beun said. “We feel very good about tonight.”
The building is a 5,290-square-foot single-level brick building on 2 acres with offices and parking. It resides in Berlin Township. The property was sold by Jr. Miller of Kaufman Realty & Auctions, with Ryan Miller serving as the realtor.
According to Jr. Miller, the school was built in 1950, with updates in 1993 and several smaller updates since.
“There’s no better area to bid on real estate than in good, old Holmes County,” Jr. Miller said.
After the hammer sale was done and the final bid was taken, the East Holmes School Board met in executive session to determine whether or not to accept the bid.
The board didn’t take long to accept the $425,000 bid.