Washoe County commissioners on Tuesday approved turning over a historic building in Verdi to the Verdi Historic Preservation Society, which has indicated it has funds to repair the 1926 structure.
The Verdi Historic Schoolhouse property, 165 Bridge St., was purchased by Washoe County for $4,000 in 1964 from the Washoe County School District. The 3,025 square-foot, single-story building sits on approximately 1 acre.
Assistant County Manager David Solaro said the facility had been used as a community center and was housed under “park operations.” However, he said the county hasn’t had funds to do required maintenance the past few years.
The Verdi Historic Preservation Society has since approached Washoe County about taking over the property, Solaro said. The sale price would be $2.
“They would like to take this building on and create a community center again,” Solaro told commissioners. “We do have a fire apparatus bay on this property as well, and so I’ve also worked with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and the Verdi Historical Preservation Society to create a no-cost lease for the continued use of that portion of the property for fire services in Verdi as long as the fire chief will need those.”
Commissioner Kitty Jung said she would like to see more of such transactions because the county needs to get out of the costly business of rehabilitating buildings.
“I know you want them off your assets and liabilities balance sheet,” Jung told Solaro. “Most importantly, when it goes to historic preservation, you can see what’s happening in Verdi. Verdi isn’t going to look the same in maybe 5 years. It’s important we maintain a connection to our history, that people see the historic value of this.”
