Marion County Board of Education sells Fairmont property known as 'the White School' for $115K

Oct. 26—FAIRMONT — At a recent public auction, the Marion County Board of Education sold its multi-level property at 601 Locust Ave. in Fairmont to Mountainside Behavior Analysis Services for $115,000.

Most recently, the property housed the Marion County Adult & Community Education Center, which the Board moved to a new location in Suite 107 of 320 Adams St. earlier this year.

Marion County School Superintendent Donna Heston said members of the Board "are very pleased with the sale," adding that preparing for the sale was no small undertaking.

"This process in selling that building for Marion County Schools was a couple of years in the making," she said.

The Board publicly announced its plans to sell the property in March, with hopes of cutting down on maintenance costs.

By consolidating programming previously housed in the building into other facilities, the Board aimed to maximize the properties it already has and save money on unnecessary property costs, Heston said.

Funds raised through the sale will also go "back into the budget" to support Marion County Schools in the future.

The Board has not yet "earmarked" these funds "for any particular project," but increased funding means more flexibility for Marion County Schools, Heston said.

"We always look at our facilities and ways that we can save money," she said. "That was a win-win for us."

The building was constructed in 1905 and has been under constant use since then. It is colloquially known as "the White School" because it was once named after W. R. White, a local, nineteenth-century educator.

In addition to the Marion County Adult & Community Education Center, the building contained two preschool classrooms and an office for the Literacy Volunteers of Marion County, all of which have now been moved to new locations in Fairmont, Heston said.

Scott Reider, treasurer for Marion County Schools, said keeping up maintenance on the building was simply not financially viable, given high maintenance costs and the fact that the Board could consolidate programming into fewer facilities without reducing or eliminating them.

The Board had two primary options — sell the building to a government or nonprofit entity, or put the building up for auction, Reider said. The Board did not hear from any government or nonprofit agencies interested in purchasing the property, so it opted for the auction.

To sell its properties to an entity not affiliated with the government or a nonprofit organization, the Board's policies stipulate it must be put up for public auction, Reider said. The Board finalized its plans to hold the auction over the summer.

Although Mountainside Behavior Analysis Services won the property with a $115,000 bid, only $105,000 raised through the sale will actually go to Marion County Schools. Part of the total — $10,000 — from the sale will go to pay the auctioneer who sold the building.

Not just anyone can hold an auction in West Virginia. Auctioneers are required to have an auctioneer license, which requires multiple exams and license payments.

To ensure the Board received the best offer possible from an auctioneer, they also took bids from auctioneers to conduct Thursday's auction, Reider said.

Essentially, they were seeking the auctioneer who charged the least for their services so that the most money possible could return to Marion County Schools.

"Just like everything else, we did have to bid the auctioneer services," Reider said. "We went with the best price commission that we could get."

Mountainside Behavior Analysis Services has 60 days following the auction to close on the property, meaning that they verify the building is up to their satisfaction and provide the Board the money promised in their bid. "Then we'll turn the key over," Reider added.

Founded in 2017, Mountainside Behavior Analysis Services currently provides autism support services across locations in West Virginia and Virginia. Company officials declined to comment on the story.

Mountainside Behavior Analysis Services already services Fairmont clients in conjunction with its Morgantown clientele, but the new property will expand its presence in Marion County.

Reach Jack Walker by email at jwalker@timeswv.com.