Clovis Unified buys building that housed bankrupt ITT Technical Institute

Clovis Unified School District is buying the school building at Clovis and Highway 168 that was previously home to ITT Technical Institute.

District trustees approved the $5.7 million purchase during Wednesday night’s board meeting.

It is proposed as an employee health clinic and potentially a professional-development facility for employees and additional office space. Clovis Unified has 1,700 teachers and 6,000 employees.

The district bought property on the east side of Fowler Avenue, south of Herndon Avenue, last year to provide growth over the next 10 to 15 years, said Kelly Avants, district spokeswoman.

The district’s plans to build along Fowler, across the street from some district facilities, was a low priority compared to adding classroom space.

But the opportunity to buy the relatively new, 25,216-square-foot ITT building at 362 N. Clovis Ave. with classrooms, office space and parking was difficult to pass up because it could be ready to occupy later this spring, she said. The building needs few modifications. ITT’s school opened in 2006, and the building is newer than even the most recent office space additions built by the district, Avants said.

The district office at Sunnyside and Herndon avenues is crowded with departments doubling up on space, she said. The district also rents facilities, such as the Clovis Veterans Memorial District building, for professional-development programs that could be held in the ITT facility because it has classrooms and conference rooms.

Included in the purchase was the building’s desks, office cubicles and other furnishings that remain intact since the school closed as part of a nationwide bankruptcy in September.

Before the 4.7-acre ITT property became available, she said, district officials were already consulting with real estate agents for property to lease or rent.

“The building was extremely attractive for us,” Avants said. “I’m not sure how many others were in line to buy it.”

The project’s cost will be covered by state Proposition 51 dollars. The state funding matches local school district money used for construction projects.

The sale will be finalized with the Prolo Family Clovis, LLC, in early March. In the meantime, district officials will decide which departments will best fit the new site, she said.

This story was originally published January 19, 2017 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Clovis Unified buys building that housed bankrupt ITT Technical Institute."