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TOMBSTONE — Looking for a former school that’s a historic building in a famed Old West town?
How about a gym? A science building? Or maybe a former woodshop building?
The Tombstone Unified School District may have the building for you.
This week the district, through Tombstone Real Estate, started to list the former Tombstone High School on Fremont Street, as well as another building that is for sale.
  
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At least one person has already expressed interest, said Barbara Highfield, owner and broker of Tombstone Real Estate.
“This is prime commercial property in Tombstone,” Highfield said. “It is over two acres situated between Highway 80 and historical Allen Street, very valuable land, with a historic and beautiful building.”
The sale of the facilities comes after voters in the school district overwhelmingly approved a measure last fall that allows the district to sell the facilities. Money used from the sales will help the district pay for capital project needs, giving a boost to the district’s budget.
The former high school, which is two stories, is listed at $2.3 million, which includes the neighboring gym and science building. The district also has listed the woodshop building at $399,000.
Karl Uterhardt, the district’s superintendent, said anyone who is interested in making a bid for the property is welcome.
He said he looks forward to having money raised from the sale to help improve educational facilities for Tombstone’s children. But he’s ready to be patient, if necessary.
“If it takes a while to sell, it takes a while to sell,” Uterhardt said. “I want the best deal for the district.”
Ultimately, that decision on the best deal will be up to the Tombstone school board members, who have the flexibility to negotiate a deal and consider offers for the property.
The district is under the limitation of state law on how it can use the money. Uterhardt said funds from the sale of property can only be used for capital projects, which range from improving school grounds with new athletic fields to buying computers and textbooks. It can’t be used to boost employee salaries or the district’s maintenance and operations budget.
The school district has two schools other than the high school — Walter J. Meyer Elementary School in Tombstone and Huachuca City School in Huachuca City.
Highfield said the district also may sell other property in the future. The district has two blocks of property between Sixth and Ninth streets, which includes the bus barn, administration building, athletic fields and tennis courts at the old high school grounds.
Uterhardt said a new football field at the current high school site is being prepared, and he hopes to have other sports fields ready in the next year. He foresees one more year of games on the old fields before the others are complete.
But that may depend on how quickly the district sells its property.
One person who already has expressed interest in the high school property is Stan Corliss, who said Friday that he’s been in contact this week Tombstone Real Estate about the property.
Last fall, Corliss, who is an entertainer, songwriter and stage and film producer, unveiled his idea to turn the former high school building into a hall of fame for luminaries of Western entertainment and offer musical shows on a regular basis. He still has that idea in mind.
What's up for sale?
The Tombstone Unified School District has two facilities up for purchase. They are:
• The former Tombstone High School at 605 E. Fremont St. The listed price is $2.3 million, which includes the high school building, which was built in 1922, and the gym and science building. According to an appraisal done late last year, the high school is 18,021 square feet, the science building is 2,984 square feet and the gym is 10,150 square feet.
• The woodshop building across the street from the former Tombstone High School building. The woodshop facility is 6,171 square feet.
Source: Karl Uterhardt, superintendent of the Tombstone school district
• For more on the school properties that are for sale, go to www.tombstonerealestate.com. To reach Tombstone Real Estate, call 457-3322 or by e-mail at info@tombstonerealestate.com.
• For information on the Tombstone school district, log onto www.tombstoneschools.org/.
HERALD/REVIEW Managing Editor Keith J. Allen can be reached at 515-4610 or by e-mail at keith.allen@svherald.com.
Linda Blake wrote on Mar 16, 2008 9:17 AM: