School buys old armory for $82,500

The old National Guard Armory sits just south of McCook High School. It will be used for the alternative education program. (Bruce Crosby/McCook Daily Gazette)

McCOOK, Nebraska -- McCook Public Schools Superintendent Grant Norgaard confirmed Monday that the district has purchased the former Nebraska Army National Guard Armory from the state for $82,500.

In August, following the McCook School Board's one-hour closed session, (allowed under law to discuss the acquisition of property), members authorized Norgaard to submit a sealed bid to purchase the armory.

The building, next door to the high school on West Seventh, will require about $37,500 in immediate upgrades before it can be utilized, Norgaard said.

This will include a fire detection and alarm system and improvements required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

If all goes according to plan, students from the district's alternative education LIFT program, now attending at a building on North Highway 83, could be moved in following the Christmas break, he said.

After improvements, the building will be able to provide additional classroom and storage space, parking around the McCook Senior High, a gym and garage space.

Technology and aesthetic upgrades also need to be addressed.

All the upgrades will take money, Norgaard stressed.

"Each improvement requires money and time invested, and we have to make sure we have the money," he explained.

The building has 19,141 gross square feet and was built in 1955.

In April 2010, the City of McCook briefly considered using the armory, with improvements, to house the city's police/fire departments and city offices. A study done by an Omaha-based firm concluded that it would cost more to rehab the building than to build a new one.

The city later decided to build a new facility on West Fifth and C Streets.