Trustees debated necessity of on-campus ATM before unanimously approving lease agreement with EECU
PASO ROBLES — One of two parcels of surplus land was sold to one lucky bidder during the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) board meeting on Tuesday, March 11. While one parcel was sold, another is still available and will be up for auction again at a later date.
On Feb. 11, PRJUSD approved its intent to sell surplus property, inviting sealed bids. District staff then moved forward to solicit offers for two parcels of land: the first being approximately 3.01 acres (Phillips A Property) of surplus real property located at 4725 River Grove Drive and another at approximately 6.99 acres (Phillips B Property) of surplus real property located at 4725 River Grove Drive. The parcels are located at the location of the former Phillips Elementary School.
The minimum price for the Phillips A Property was set at $135,000, and the minimum price for the Phillips B Property was set at $350,000.
The board opened up the auction and Assistant Superintendent Business Services Brad Pawlowski opened the single sealed bid offer for Phillips A Property — however, the sealed bid offered lower than the minimum amount set for the parcel. Board members then opened the auction to any verbal offers.
There were two verbal bidders in the audience Tuesday night ready to make offers on Phillips A Property. The auction started off at a minimum of $135,000 and eventually increased and finally sold to the second bidder, Sandra Fielder, for $175,000.
Phillips B Property also received a sealed bid under the minimum asking price and with no verbal bidders in attendance, the property will be brought back to trustees to discuss, according to Pawlowski.
Within the consent agenda, Trustee Kenny Enney requested to have item “7. Approve Lease Agreement with Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU) for ATM” for a separate discussion.
According to staff’s report, in 2022, staff discussed installing an ATM at the district office. EECU, a strong education partner, now seeks to open a second location for convenience. Staff recommends approval to benefit employees and strengthen PRJUSD’s local business partnerships.
“Nobody uses cash anymore,” said Enney, questioning if the district accepts cash at sports events anymore.
The lease agreement has a 10-year term with two successive five-year extension options. Rent is $12 per year, with a minimum annual grant of $2,500 or $0.35 per transaction, whichever is higher. Electrical and telephone costs are $150 per month. EECU would cover all installation and maintenance expenses.
“I think that it would be a benefit for students who want to use it certainly the location would make it ideal. We were really just looking to provide a service to staff and to be a good partner with a local institution that provides a lot of pretty hefty contributions to us throughout the year to support activities to our staff,” explained Superintendent Jennifer Loftus.
However, Enney was not the only trustee to question the benefit of having an ATM on campus.
“In a world that is going cashless, I don’t see the purpose of having an ATM machine anywhere … I just don’t see how we would benefit,” said Trustee Laurene McCoy.
Ultimately, at the end of discussion, trustees unanimously approved the ATM lease agreement.
The next Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m.
