Iowa City school district will get second appraisal for elementary school

IOWA CITY – The Iowa City school district will seek another appraisal for the Roosevelt Elementary School property in hopes to getting more money for it.

The district plans to sell the property, with the school closing at the end of this school year.

The school board decided to seek bids for the property rather than use a real estate agent. The lone bid was for $201,000, well below the property's appraised value of $770,000.

The school board, meeting on Tuesday as its Facilities Committee, agreed with Superintendent Stephen Murley's recommendation to get an updated appraisal. The discussion occurred in a work session so the board did not officially reject the bid, but it made clear that was its intention.

Residents of the neighborhood around Roosevelt, 611 Greenwood Dr., have said they do not want apartments or a commercial development to go up in the school's place. The school board in the bid documents said the property could be used or offices and educational, religious and health purposes.

Those restrictions came after the initial appraisal, and Murley and board members said a new assessment of the property's value could indicate how those are affecting the price.

Murley said an appraisal should not take too long to complete and after it is done the board will review the restrictions and also consider setting a minimum price on the property.