The Sycamore school board is again seeking bids to purchase the nearly 100-year-old building that formerly housed Sycamore’s Central School, according to district documents.

The Sycamore Community School District 427 school board unanimously voted to seek bids for the purchase of the former educational space on Tuesday. That decision came more than a year after the school board, in a split vote, approved the purchase of a former Nicor building, 1947 Bethany Road, as a new administrative building in May 2024.

Since then, the future of the former Central School building in downtown Sycamore has been uncertain. The board’s vision for the new administrative building also is unclear. In June, the board hired the architecture firm behind the new Sycamore Fire Station to assess its new administrative building on Bethany Road. That assessment is expected to be presented to the board in September.

During a school board meeting on Tuesday, board member Alan Zantout said that there were costs associated with the former Central School building remaining on the district’s ledger, prompting the sale notice.

“At this point, the building is costing us money and we’re not utilizing it,” Zantout said.

In a resolution passed Tuesday, the Sycamore school board said the property at 245 W. Exchange St. has become unnecessary, unsuitable and inconvenient.

The district previously sought bids for the property from April 29 to May 16. The board did not act on the three bids that were received, however, according to documents provided through a public records request.

At the time, the largest bid for the building was $91,000. School board president Michael DeVito said Tuesday that new bids will need to be more than double that for the Sycamore school board to entertain the offer.

“We’re not committing to anything really now, we’re just taking the next step in this process of selling the public’s real estate,” DeVito said.

The minimum bid price for the building located at 245 W. Exchange St. is $199,000, but the district reserves the right to reject all bids, according to the district’s notice of public sale of real property.

In a comparative Market Analysis prepared by Alison Rosenow with American Realty Illinois LLC, the district was provided a seller’s statement that suggests a minimum bid price range of $199,000 to $249,000.

Zantout said he appreciated the market analysis for the building.

“I’m just happy to see the comparative analysis,” Zantout said. “I think that was helpful to give some guidance because I think there’s been lots of discussions of value and other items that have been wide ranging. ... It’s good to get a little bit more clarity.”

During the meeting, first-term board member Cole Regnery spoke about the bid process.

“We set the minimum bid at the low end of what our comparative market analysis said,” Regnery said.

Board member and secretary Alex Grados expressed similar concerns during the discussion.

Board vice president Christian Copple, an attorney for the Kane County Public Defender’s Office, said the numbers provided in any potential bids for the building wouldn’t be set in stone.

“Should we accept any bids, we could always negotiate,” Copple said.