Get best deal for school.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The Eugene School District has done all that could reasonably be expected to accommodate neighbors who hope to preserve Santa Clara Elementary School for community use.

Yet some neighbors were frustrated Wednesday when the Eugene School Board set an asking price of $7.15 million for the 7.2-acre property. "It's exorbitant," one neighbor declared, adding, "It's a slap in the face to come out with that."

While the asking price obviously gave some members of the Santa Clara Committee for Sensible Parks & Open Space a nasty case of sticker shock, it shouldn't have been a surprise. Large, flat plots of prime developable land are a rarity these days in Eugene. Nearly three dozen potential buyers, with ideas for the property ranging from apartment housing to a retail complex, already have contacted the district's real estate consultant. That number will probably grow in coming weeks. Bidding should be intense, with a final sale price close to, or even above, the district's asking price.

An ambitious, community-minded group of Santa Clara neighbors wants to see the 73-year-old school building, which the district closed in 2003, transformed into a community meeting and recreation center.

After a June 15 fire destroyed part of the building, the group pleaded with the district to halt demolition plans. Superintendent George Russell agreed not to tear down the building, even though it meant the district had to continue paying $2,800 a week for site security. The agreement gave the group nearly two months to come up with the money for a competitive bid. While Russell said he hoped that the future buyer would preserve the vintage building, he also made it clear that the district's top priority was to get the most money it could for the property.

That's exactly what the district should do. The property belongs to the entire district, not just the Santa Clara area. While school officials might sympathize deeply with neighbors' desires, they would break faith with district taxpayers if they in effect provided a multimillion-dollar subsidy to make the community center vision a reality. That's especially true at a time when the Eugene district - like every other school district in the state- needs every dollar it can find for educational operations and building maintenance.

To its credit, the district left itself some wiggle room to accommodate a bid by the Santa Clara neighbors or another community-minded group. Russell says the board will consider lowering the price by up to $300,000 for such proposals.

Unfortunately, it appears unlikely that the Santa Clara group will get close to that mark. While members earlier said they had commitments totaling $500,000, they so far have lined up firm pledges of just $7,000.

Some members plan to ask the district to delay putting the property on the market. Unless they can give district officials good reason to believe they can come up with the millions of dollars it will take to make a competitive bid, the district should proceed with the sale of Santa Clara Elementary School.