Concord School District to Acquire Apartment Building

The announced at its May 7, meeting that it had entered a purchase and sale agreement to purchase 4 Rumford St., an apartment building stuck in the middle of the new grounds.

The district, according to , president of the Concord School Board, will pay $285,000 for the building and parcel. The board unanimously approved acquisition of the building.

The agreement ended a six-plus year battle over a potential sale that included closed-door negotiations, offers and counter-offers, a lawsuit, and legislation at the . The couple bought the building in 2003 for $247,500, and reportedly spent $50,000 on repairs, meaning that they will lose money on the sale. The building was originally constructed in 1900, and is assessed at $163,200, according to the city’s online assessing database.

In 2006 and 2007, the school district obtained seven of the other houses on the parcel for about $2.1 million. The Averys were the single holdouts.

Ardinger said the agreement was important because the building affected the overall safety of the school grounds. She said there will be testing at the site prior to closing and the remaining tenants will be assisted with relocation.

The agreement comes at a time when construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the on each side of the apartment building. A number of people, including parents whose children will attend the new school in the fall, have stated that an apartment building on the grounds was probably not the safest situation.

“We’re delighted to be able to put this part of the construction project behind us,” Ardinger said. “I think it will make for a far better elementary [school] site. Parents and all the people in Concord will cheer this development … It’s been a long journey. I think we’re finally at the end.”