The former Mountain Oaks Elementary School at Ooltewah is to be renovated into an assisted living center.
A task force is recommending that the proposal of Assisted Living Management and Marketing, Inc. of Kennesaw, Georgia presented through Stonecrest Properties be approved.
The issue comes before the county school board on Thursday night.
The firm is to pay $120,000 for the vacant school and spend $1.5 million-$2 million to renovate it.
There will be 25-30 new jobs as part of the project.
The existing school building is to be renovated to include a 48-room primary facility to house assisted living and assisted care residents along with a health club and activity center. Common areas of the facility may be used by the community for civic meetings, it was stated.
Cottage style residences are to be constructed on a portion of the property and a natural area left for greenways and nature area that can be enjoyed by the residents.
The firm currently owns and operates three assisted living facilities in Georgia. Both facilities were originally Victorian-style homes which have been renovated and additions constructed to accommodate assisted living residents.
The Hamilton County Department of Education earlier requested that the Hamilton County Real Property Office issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the sale and redevelopment of the old school building and property.
Approximately 550 RFP’s were mailed directly to a comprehensive list of developers, commercial realtors, architects and engineers, elected officials, chamber board members, and other interested parties.
A task force was formed to review the responses to the proposals received and to make recommendations to the Hamilton County Board of Education and the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners.
Responses to the RFP’s were due May 29, 2002.
Four responses were received although one proposal was for the rear (east) portion of the property only.
Task force members included Joe Conner, Chip Baker, and Marty Puryear – Board of Education; Gary Waters, Department of Education; Bill Hullander, Hamilton County Commission; Becky Browder and Paul Parker – Hamilton County Real Property Office; Steve Leach, Regional Planning Agency; Mike Howard, County Engineer; Linda and Johnny Helton, Community Representatives.
The proposers were invited to make presentations to the task force on July 1.
After hearing a formal presentation from each proposer, the proposals were reviewed and discussed by the task force using the “Comparative Evaluation Criteria” listed in the RFP.
Creekside Properties had proposed using the school for climate-controlled storage and offered $253,590. There would have been 20 manufacturing employees relocated from the Alton Park/East Lake area.
Neighbors Dana and Kathy Wilson offered $12,000.
Dale Mabee and Greg Vital of Independent Healthcare Properties proposed tearing down the old school and putting in a 65-unit adult residential community. They offered $256,000 less the $185,000 demolition cost.