The Highland school board will not be having a public hearing regarding the Ainsworth Elementary building at their meeting Monday night in accordance with school board policy.

The board had originally set a public hearing at their last meeting for July 10. Interim Superintendent Dr. Mike Jorgensen attended the last meeting and proceeded to study the board’s policy on sale of buildings. Jorgensen then determined that according to board policy it was too soon to have a public hearing, “The first step that we need to do is solicit bids for that facility, along with a purpose and that is what I’m asking the board to approve on Monday night is the process, and to get the bids out and advertise the fact that the bids are out. Then anybody who has an interest in buying that facility will fill out the form stating their intent to do with that facility.”

Discussion on a bid proposal for the building has been put on the agenda. There will also be discussion on a bid proposal for an assessment of the building from contractor Carl A. Nelson. Jorgensen explains the board’s next steps after receiving bids, “Prior to the August meeting we will open those bid proposals, date to be determined. And then at the August meeting the board will discuss the bid proposals and what they want to do next. Hopefully the next step would be they would select one of those bid proposals, recommend that at that meeting, and then in that September meeting we would have a public hearing based on that recommendation, and then possible action that evening. So the earliest anything would happen in regards to the Ainsworth building would be the September board meeting.”

Ainsworth Mayor Troy McCarthy made an offer to the board at the June 12 meeting to purchase the ball fields and the building for a $1 each.