Belen Schools agrees to purchase Auge’s
November 03, 2009
The Belen Consolidated Schools Board of Education this morning agreed to purchase Auge’s property, the once booming new car dealership that in recent years transitioned to a used car outfit, with the district planning to use the site for a new bus compound.
“One of the real advantages of this property is that it’s going to meet all of our needs,” Transportation Director Kurt Kaufman said. “Right now we cannot park all of our buses in parking spaces if they’re all in. Basically, we have area buses where we have to encourage our drivers to keep them at home.”
The district is acquiring more than four acres, including the newest of the two Auge’s buildings along River Road and the paved car lots to the building’s west and south. The district’s bus compound will be relocated from its current site between Becker and Baca avenues in downtown Belen.
The cost of the purchase is $1.8 million, slightly under the property’s appraised value. Board Member Sammy Chavez said the property is probably worth more but the depressed real estate market is to the board’s advantage.
“An appraisal years ago came in quite a bit higher,” he said. “And I have no doubts in my mind that the appraisal years from now will come in quite a bit higher. Now’s the ideal time for us to make this purchase.”
The district will pay for the property from bond money approved by voters.
“I just think it’s an ideal property,” Kaufman said. “And for us to be able to have this opportunity at this time to get it, and the fact that it’s not really going to cost extra to the bond, I just think it’s a win-win for all of us.”
Art Castillo, deputy superintendent and finance director, said the district will have bond money left over after the construction of the new Infinity High School, enough money for the purchase.
“I think it’s important for the public to understand, if we do go forward with this, where the money is coming from,” said Board Member Julian Luna. “This has nothing to do with our operating budget. This is bond money that we have had in our budget and allows us to make these types of purchases.”
Board President Jamie Goldberg said the purchase is necessary because the district has outgrown its existing bus compound.
“The buses now have no place to park when they come back. They’re parked on the street and the sides of the road,” he said. “We’ve outgrown that compound years ago.”
The schools also negotiated to use a road easement extending from the back of the site to Gabaldon Road for at least five years, providing safer access for buses. The board doesn’t want buses entering and exiting solely from River Road because of the high volume of traffic.
The district will also receive some mechanical and other equipment in the Auge’s building as a part of the purchase agreement.
The board said it intends to use the new bus compound for more than just transportation offices, since there’s a lot of room.
District officials don’t know what will happen to the old bus compound, saying it could be used for parking for Belen Middle School.
“Where the bus compound is located it causes a lot of congestion in that area for the residents and for the community members who work and live in that area,” Chavez said. “We take up sometimes part of the library’s parking spaces. They’ve actually loaned us a portion of their parking facility. Just moving that out of the downtown area — the pollution that’s created by the diesel down there and the congestion — we’re going to be able to alleviate that from the community’s concerns.”
Superintendent Patricia Rael said the block of Castillo Road sandwiched within the bus compound and closed to traffic will likely be reopened after discussions with the City of Belen.
Despite the purchase, Auge’s isn’t going away. Robert Auge said he intends to continue to operate Auge’s out of the old dealership at the intersection of River and Gabaldon roads.
“Obviously it’s a situation that we didn’t want to be in, to sell our property,” he said. “We’ve been in business for over 50 years. We plan to continue to be in business one block down the street at our old building.”
He blamed the economy for forcing the sale. There’s a $1.835-million lien against the Auge’s property, which Ed Auge said would be taken care of in order to complete the sale.
The Auge family has until December 17 to clear the way for the completion of the transaction.
“If in fact there are some issues out there that can’t be resolved by the 17th of December, the transaction will come to a halt,” Castillo said.
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