Former School Slated to Become Newspaper Headquarters
Travis Phelps
In March, a move by the city council to strip away the 1.09 percent sales tax left the school district scrambling for ways to save money.
Their newest idea was to sell the former Gateway Elementary School building in a quick flash sale that nobody knew about until after the contract was finalized.
According to a press release sent out by the school district, the Gateway building was sold to The Mountain Jackpot Newspaper for $500. The press release stated that the newspaper plans on using the building for their new media company headquarters.
The news came as a shock to many residents who lined up deep at the last school board meeting to voice their opinions on the school district’s most recent decision. During the meeting, the school district’s interim superintendent Erin Salto said that they didn’t want to have to sell the building but their hands were tied after getting a $3 million hit to their revenue.
“It was a really hard decision to make, but it is the best choice to enable the school district to move forward financially,” Salto said. “The $500 will go towards keeping all sports programs offered by the school available. And now the district won’t have to pay tens of thousands of dollars a month to maintain the old building.”
According to Rick Langleberg, the CEO of the Mountain Jackpot Newspaper, the recent purchase will help the newspaper company grow into a full-blown media powerhouse that offers a wide area of digital and print services. “After I noticed that the school district was trying to give away buildings for pennies on the dollar I jumped at the opportunity,” Langleberg said. “$500 was a lot for me to afford, but this is the step our company needs to take it to the next level.”
The new large building will house the newspaper team and their new technology wing. The newspaper plans to add a printing press to the building to enable them to print their own newspapers.
According to Langleberg, the newspaper will use their new giant headquarters facility to expand their operations. Additions to the building include a television studio, a deep fake research facility, a radio studio, and more importantly, a much needed bar for area journalists and restaurant
“Our newspaper has been loved by the community for almost 40 years for our truthful and unbiased news reporting,” Langleberg said. “This new facility will help us expand our operations and keep up with the fast-changing world of technology.”
During the school board meeting, many residents spoke up and said they were happy with the deal and the fact that their favorite newspaper would now be bigger and better. Others though, basically started foaming from their mouths while they were shouting at the top of their lungs.
“This is just another ridiculous, under-handed move made by the worst school board in the world,” said resident Nat Wilson. “It really just makes many of us wonder: What stupid decision will be next?”
During the meeting, the interim superintendent agreed that this won’t be the last controversial decision the school board will make. Salto said that the district will be looking at possibly offloading several of their properties in order to further save money.
“One idea we had was to sell parts of school properties that aren’t currently being used,” Salto said. “We might even sell or rent out half of the middle school and high school building.”
The local newspaper owner said that he will be keeping his eyes open for more similar opportunities. “I am eyeing the Aquatic Center next,” Langleberg said. “Since the city basically runs it in the red, we would like to buy it for a good price and turn it into an adults-only waterpark.”
Happy April Fool’s Day!
