FORKS — With a handover of keys, Peninsula College took ownership of the former Bank of America building in Forks on Tuesday afternoon.
Sandy Schier, proprietor of Lunsford Real Estate, handed the keys to the building to Peninsula College President Luke Robins.
The college plans to remodel the building that once housed the bank at 481 S. Forks Ave. into a new campus for the West End branch of the community college based in Port Angeles.
“For us, you couldn’t ask for a better location in Forks,” Robins said.
He pointed out that the building is on a lot next to both Forks High School and Clallam Transit’s Forks Transit Center.
The building has been empty since Bank of America closed its Forks branch in January 2011.
The college plans to begin classes in January 2014 at the new location, which will provide more space and allow expanded offerings, Robins has said.
Classroom replacement
The new location will replace the current Forks Extension classrooms, which are in a former hardware store at 71 S. Forks Ave.
Phyllis Van Holland, spokeswoman for the college, said the future fate of that building is uncertain.
Peninsula College bought the old bank building for $633,000 from And Knives LLC, owned by Mike Livingston of Spokane, according to Carrol Lunsford, former owner for Lunsford Real Estate.
And Knives bought the building for $450,000 in 2007 from First State Investors, a Delaware corporation, according to county records.
Peninsula College received $1,307,114 in grant funding in June from the state Department of Commerce for energy-efficiency upgrades at the new Forks site, and the budget request for the purchase and renovation is $2 million.
McKinstry of Seattle/ESCO and Energy Performance Contracting won contracts to remodel the building.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com.
