Seattle City Council members urged Seattle School Board members to ensure surplus school buildings are used as community assets rather than sold to the highest bidder at a joint city-schools meeting last week.

The district is currently evaluating 20 of its leased, interim and closed facilities to determine whether or not to sell or increase rents to make more money. Seven are school buildings slated for closure this fall.

Another seven provide neighborhood and educational services, such as the Phinney Neighborhood Association in the former Allen Elementary and Small Faces Child Development Center in the Crown Hill School.

Four are interim sites.

The district will determine whether each property could be needed in the next 25 years and be kept in inventory on short-term, 10-year leases in case later needed as schools or declared surplus, said Ron English with the district's property management department.

Decisions will be partly based on building capacity and expected enrollment trends.

Surplus buildings will likely be sold or leased out for an extended period of 50 to 100 years. However, the district must retain fair market value on the properties, said English. He said it's unlikely that all 20 buildings would be surplus.

The district will approach the selling of a building in one of two ways. Public advertising could be used to attract competitive proposals, or the district will conduct direct negotiations with current long-term tenants.

English said he expects direct negotiations to happen with tenants in the Phinney and Crown Hill sites, among others.

Several community groups, such as the Small Faces Child Development Center, that lease buildings from the district have said they wouldn't be able to shoulder a significant increase in rent.

City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck suggested the district look at selling buildings to non-profit agencies. He also suggested district sites could be used to create affordable housing for teachers and staff, something similar to the University of Washington's goal of building condos and apartments for faculty to combat the rising housing market in Seattle.

"Why not take this opportunity to advance public policy objectives?" said Steinbrueck. "I would hate to see the buildings go to private developers that may not even be compatible with the neighborhoods."

Chair of the School Board Finance Committee, Michael DeBell, said maintaining and furthering community goals is a priority, but reminded the council that the district is not in the business of running community centers.

"We think that's more a job for the city," said DeBell.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association is one of seven of the district's tenants that pay a discounted rent of 50 percent fair-market value based on a district policy that attaches value to youth and family services. In exchange for a discount on rent, tenants agree to pay for maintenance and general up-keep of the district-owned building.

The Nordic Heritage Museum has leased the old Daniel Webster School on Northwest 67th Street for the past 25 years. The museum plans to leave for a new building by 2012 but its lease with the district runs out in 2010.

The Seattle City Council has set aside $5 million in the city's general budget to help some groups purchase the building it leases from the district. So far, the council has identified the Phinney Neighborhood Association and the University Heights community center to receive help with the purchase.

The council could look at other investments in surplus district buildings, said council member Richard Conlin. However, whether or not the buildings are sold or leased out, the city wants to ensure they continue to serve the community in some way instead of sit empty, Conlin said.

He used the historic Youngstown/Frank B. Cooper School in West Seattle's Delridge neighborhood as a good example of a surplus facility that went to good community use. That building now houses the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center after the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association purchased the building from the district.

Information will be presented to the School Board Finance Committee in February and March, both on rental rates and on whether to keep or dispose of properties, said English. The full board will vote on the final decision.

DeBell said he is confident that between the city and school governments, the issue could be resolved.

"...We need some long-term vision here," he said. "The closer we can work together on this issue the better it will work out."

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 723.1244 or rebekahs@ballardnewstribune.com