BUTLER TWP — The Butler School Board Monday night voted to sell Broad Street Elementary School to The Arc of Butler County for $475,007, pending a final sales contract and the approval of a judge.

The Arc is a nonprofit agency that helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Board member Bill Halle, who has a lawsuit against the district regarding building sales, was the only one who voted against it. Board member John Conrad was absent.

Halle said, “The board promised to take public input before selling any building. We’ve never done that.

“We’re about to sell a school to a nonprofit. Even though the board voted to accept the bid from Arc, the lawsuit is still in play and a sale cannot be completed until it is resolved.”

A few others expressed concerns about the sale.

Resident Michael Wick of Butler said, “My feeling is, I agree with Bill. I think it’s too soon. I think there are too many what ifs. We’re two months into the school year.”

Suzie Hammonds Bradrick, who will be a new board member starting next month, read parts of an informational pamphlet given at meetings last school year as the district prepared to close schools.

“The district will seek input on closing activities and potential buyers,” she pointed out.

But Dale Lumley, superintendent, said the intent was to have people express their concerns about sales.

“When we sell a building, we will have an opportunity for community input for people to come forward and say yes they want this kind of business or they don’t, both at board meetings and at the hearing itself,” Lumley said.

“I was not trying to say that we would have yet another community meeting for input on general kinds of information. But when we have a buyer, is this buyer acceptable or is this buyer not acceptable? That’s what I meant when I put it in the brochure.”

The board discussed the issue for about 15 minutes before taking a final vote. Board member Neil Convery made another observation.

“How do you get community input on a buyer when you don’t have an offer?” he asked.

If the sale is approved by a Butler County judge, the $475,007 will go toward paying the bond issue debt for Broad Street and other buildings. There were updates made to Broad Street in 2002.

The district has received three other offers on recently closed school buildings. That information was released on Monday as part of a Butler Eagle Right-To-Know request.

Those are: J.M. Beatty Furniture bid $380,000 for Broad Street for use as a retail furniture store; Michael D. Wright bid $425,000 for Meridian Elementary to house 70E Solutions, a family owned business that tests electrical protective equipment, and Ken McDonald and Brent Thomas bid $350,000 for Meridian Elementary to convert it into a senior residential facility.

The school district closed Broad Street, Clearfield, Meridian and Oakland elementary schools in June as part of a consolidation and cost-saving measure.

Each of those buildings had two appraisals. Broad Street had appraisals for $335,000 and $578,000, while Meridian had appraisals for $400,000 and $660,000.

The Center for Community Resources earlier this year offered $150,000 for Broad Street in a sealed bid process. The board rejected that bid in September.

Solicitor Tom King said he will meet with Arc officials to put a sales agreement together, which the board will vote on at its Nov. 16 meeting.

King said that he is not aware of any plans as of yet for the two bids on Meridian.

Arc would use the school for workshops and training for people with intellectual disabilities, including autism.