Jill Schramm/MDN Minot School Board member Scott Louser, right, speaks during a discussion on the sale of the Bell school building at the Tuesday, Oct. 7, board meeting. At left are board member Lacey Laudenschlager and Superintendent Scott Faul.

The former Bell school building southeast of Minot should be sold, the Minot School Board decided Tuesday, Oct. 7.

The board has been contemplating the sale of the Bell and Jefferson buildings as well as developable land near Erik Ramstad Middle School. The board closed Bell and McKinley elementary schools in 2024.

The board chose to sell Bell and indicated it will decide at a future meeting whether to begin disposing of parcels in the Ramstad property.

“I don’t see any need in particular to wait on Bell. I think that’s an obvious asset that is gaining interest from the public,” board member Scott Louser said.

Potential uses for Bell, identified by interested buyers, include a childcare center, convenience store or theatrical production headquarters. Interest also has been expressed in obtaining the Jefferson building to open a childcare facility.

A committee will be appointed to develop a plan for selling the Bell building, which could be auctioned or sold on sealed bids but cannot sell below fair market value. The district has obtained appraisals on properties under sale consideration. The committee also could determine whether to allow interested buyers to inspect the Bell building beforehand or request maintenance records, and if so, recommend a procedure for how those would be handled.

“I think we need to have the opportunity for people to see these spaces, do the things that are due diligence, to make sure that they know what they are getting involved in as well,” board member Sabrina Herrmann said.

Public feedback is required for the district to market properties. During Tuesday’s public input session, Mike Hayes of Minot, a retired home builder, questioned whether the district’s acceptance of the gift of the Ramstad property was a good idea.

“The school district paid off roughly a million and a half dollars in specials on that property that was given to them. Not only that, it’s off the tax rolls for approximately four years,” he said. “Then we have the maintenance – mowing of the property for the last approximately four years that comes out of your budget somewhere.”

Hayes, who said his offer on the property fell by the wayside, noted the district could be collecting taxes and seeing more students enrolled had the homes been built.

Minot resident Travis Zablotney urged the board to sell all the properties.

“Given the situation of your budget deficits that continue, your unfunded maintenance that seems to be getting larger and larger and larger, I’m not sure that there should be any other decision but to liquidate property that is unnecessary,” he said. “It should be a very easy decision, especially when you’ve got willing buyers.”

Zablotney also encouraged development of the Ramstad property.

“Minot Public appears that it needs some growth in order to sustain its obligations and its overhead and one way to do that is to see new housing built in this community,” he said.