DISTRICT PLANS TO USE HOSPITAL FOR ADULT ED.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer Finding a way around high renovation costs, high school district officials will purchase a closed Palmdale hospital to use for adult education and vocational training programs. The deal for the former Desert Palms Community Hospital was too good to pass up, especially after the hospital's owner cut the price more than 40 percent to $600,000. ``We had a motivated seller,'' said trustee Kevin Carney. ``It's a very good deal.'' The Antelope Valley Union High School District The Antelope Valley Union High School District (A.V.U.H.S.D.) is located in the Antelope Valley area of California, in northern Los Angeles County. The district includes eight public high schools, one trade school, and two continuation high schools in the cities of Palmdale board voted 4-0 at Tuesday's meeting to buy the hospital building and the mental health building. Trustee Bill Olenick was absent. Desert Palms' owner, Paracelsus Healthcare Corp., originally had asked for $1.05 million. Paracelsus also owns Lancaster Community Hospital This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. . Desert Palms closed in March 1996. District administrators initially recommended against going forward with the hospital purchase after they said it would cost $1.5 million to retrofit ret·ro·fit v. ret·ro·fit·ted or ret·ro·fit, ret·ro·fit·ting, ret·ro·fits v.tr. 1. To provide (a jet, automobile, computer, or factory, for example) with parts, devices, or equipment not in walls to meet safety standards Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities or processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory. . But now the plan calls for not making any changes. ``We put a different package together. If we buy the property and use it primarily for adult education or offices, that fits under the restrictions of the property. We wouldn't have to do much of anything to it,'' said Con Oamek, assistant superintendent Assistant Superintendent, or Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was a rank used by police forces in the British Empire. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. for business services. ``What we are going to do is use it primarily for adult ed and career training programs. We can have regional occupation programs in nonstandard non·stan·dard adj. 1. Varying from or not adhering to the standard: nonstandard lengths of board. 2. facilities.'' The adult education and vocational programs' offices will be housed in the mental health building. If the district does decide to set up classroom space for students, sections of the buildings can be renovated rather than the whole structure, Oamek said. Carney added that portable classrooms can be installed. School officials have not decided a use for the hospital. Carney said parts of the hospital building can be used for adult education. The amount of $600,000 represents the appraised value An appraised value (USA) or mortgage valuation (Australia) pertains to the assessed value of real property in the opinion of a qualified appraiser or valuer. It is usually used as a pre-qualification & risk-based pricing factor related to the issuance of mortgage loans by a of the land that the two buildings sit on, Oamek said. ``Paracelsus is anxious to be a corporate sponsor and work with the school district. They felt schools would be a good use of the facility,'' Oamek said. Escrow is scheduled to close June 30, and the district will begin moving programs into the facility this fall, Oamek said. |
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