Astoria School Board instructs its attorney to negotiate a price with church leadershipThe future of Olney School just might be in the Lord’s hands.

The Astoria School Board, in a special session Tuesday, accepted a proposal from Coastline Christian Fellowship, which offered to buy the building for use as a church.

With a 4-0 vote, board members instructed the district’s attorney, Dan VanThiel, to negotiate a price with church leadership.

The board will then accept or reject the negotiated price at a future meeting, possibly as early as November.

The Warrenton church has offered $325,000 for the property. According to an appraisal from Capital Evaluation Group Ltd., Olney School is worth anywhere from $250,000 to $375,000.

The board asked VanThiel to negotiate a price closer to the higher range.

Coastline is a nondenominational Christian church that started five years ago in a Warrenton living room. It now has 350 congregation members who pack into three services at the church’s current location at 326 South Main Ave. in Warrenton.

During the meeting, Coastline Pastor Jason Biel said Olney School, with its playground, classrooms, large meeting area and up-to-date codes, would meet many of the church’s needs.

“It’s almost a turn-key operation for us,’ Biel said. “We have a young congregation so classrooms provide a great space for meeting.”

Board members accepted the Coastline proposal over one from The Healing Circle, a local nonprofit best known for supporting Victory Over Child Abuse (VOCA) camps.

The Healing Circle proposed turning the school into a licensed group home for high school-age children. County children who enter the foster care system are often sent to other counties because Clatsop County doesn’t have the resources to serve them, said Suzanna Vermeul-Wilson, Oregon Department of Human Services foster home certifier.

The group offered to lease the building, and take over expenses, upkeep and liability.

The board favored the Coastline offer, which if it goes through, will allow the district to dispose of the property permanently.

“We have a responsibility to manage the assets under our control,” board member David Kaspar said. “We need to manage and liquidate that asset.”

However, board members said they would be willing partners in supporting a group home for Clatsop County.

“We don’t want this to die, but we’re not in a position now to do that,” Bob Ellsberg said.

After the board’s vote, Biel said he was cautiously optimistic.

“We’re waiting on the Lord’s will,” he said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Board member Laurie Choate was absent from the meeting.