The Griswold School Board met in a special session Monday evening to consider approving an offer to purchase the Elliott School Building. The building became available in August 2018, when new additions were constructed on the Griswold High School/Middle School campus.

Rayna Blay (right) explains to the Griswold School Board what her and Jacque Howell’s (left) plans are for the Elliott School Building.

During Monday’s meeting, Rayna Blay explained how she and Jacque Howell the see the facility being used by their businesses. Blay and her fiancé’ Jeremy Putnam run a trucking company based in Elliott. She also helps Howell part time at Howell’s current daycare business.

Howell, she said wants a bigger, better more situated daycare for more kids. Blay, who runs a bakery business for 15 years and is working out of her home. She wants to have the kitchen in the Elliott building to have her own bakery business which would also include a small coffee shop, donut, muffin and decorative cakes.

She said they’ve also come up with plans for future entrepreneurs. That includes: renting the kitchen for special events in Elliott, party rooms for special events, a community Thrift Store 100% profitable for the Community of Elliott; storage a before/after school program; a farmers market/community garden; an exercise room, and in the future a burger bar, as well as more space for the Elliott City Clerk.

There’s also room for sporting events, auctions, large events, and fundraisers. The offer stipulates any kitchen equipment not needed by the school, would remain with the building. The Board accepted Blay and Howell’s offer of $4,000 for the building, by a vote of 6-to-0, with Heather Pelzer abstaining since she was the real estate agent who helped to broker the deal.

Rayna Blay expressed tears of joy upon hearing the sale was approved. Superintendent Dave Henrichs said there’s several things that need to be done before the building officially changes hands. That includes getting the legal paperwork back from the school attorney. The entire process will take about three months, meaning the earliest the women could occupy the building is in August, the latest sometime in October.

Blay said she was looking to open around sometime in September, or whenever the keys are in her hands, so the proposed timeline should work for both women. Howell said she will be in the process of changing her business to a 501-c 3 non-profit organization and she would like to be taking in new kids by the time school starts.

In other business, the Board discussed, but took no action on hiring an Assistant High School Softball Coach.