The city of Hancock is considering buying the bus garage that is currently owned by Hancock Public Schools. (Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette)

HANCOCK — The Dec. 16 deadline set by Hancock Public Schools for accepting requests of purchasing its bus garage has been tabled temporarily at the request of the city of Hancock.                 

The city had expressed interest in purchasing the parcel. Earlier this month, the city received an email from the school district stating amendments had been made to the original property appraisal, which included the Dec. 16 deadline.

Hancock City Manager Mary Babcock replied with a request that the school board delay further action until the city has time to consider its options on purchasing the property.

At the Dec. 16 regular monthly meeting of the Hancock School Board, Superintendent Chris Salani said the city made the request to allow it time to conduct its own due process for submitting a bid based on the new, amended appraisal that was received after the last DDA meeting.

“They wouldn’t have been able to provide an offer based on the timelines if the school board didn’t table the action,” Salani said.

“I got a notice, I think on the ninth, that they got a new appraisal for $190,000, and it just wasn’t time enough for the city to turn that around,” Babcock said. “For one thing, how would I fund it? There’s a lot of questions that I have to answer.”

Babcock said the city has expressed interest in purchasing the property, but there is a very involving process.

“There’s a lot of homework that needs to be done before the city would even submit a proposal,” Babcock said. “We have to go through a formal process and make sure it fits the city’s Master Plan. I still have to speak with the people who make those decisions. The city council or the DDA would be the decision makers.”

If the decision is made to purchase the property, she said, then a public hearing will need to be conducted.

Babcock said the interest in the property stems from limited parking near the city offices.

“We have parking issues,” she said. “And the reason we have parking issues is because the lot behind (City Hall) has been sold, and as the Community Hub, in the former High School, gets busier, the city can’t take up half their parking, so we’re looking at the bus garage property as an option for that. But also as an option for renting out portions of it for parking for people who live downtown.”

The original property appraisal required amendments, Salani said.

Originally, were conducted when Finlandia University still owned the old Hancock High School, Salani said, and the parcels that were listed in the boundaries of the school district were inaccurate based on the ownership at the time. Subsequently, the city, along with a private property owner, identified the district’s initial appraisal as incorrect, and then getting requisite documentation to confirm the property boundaries.

“We had to go back to 2013 language to ensure that the property boundaries were accurate,” Salani said, “and that’s where the amendment came from.”