Central Bible College campus still for sale, no 'favored' buyer, owner says

A nonprofit calling for the vacant Central Bible College to be transformed into a haven for veterans is adept at garnering media attention but has not yet purchased the property, a representative of the owner said Thursday.

Michael Fine, president of the real estate company hired to sell the 75-acre campus in north Springfield, said the property at Norton Road and Grant Avenue will be divided into parcels next week and auctioned off Oct. 4.

"The property has not been sold nor is there a favored buyer for the property," he said. 

The college owned by the General Council of the Assemblies of God Church closed in 2014 — after operating for nine decades — and the remaining students were absorbed by Evangel University.

Almer “Al” Jackson, who runs a nonprofit called the USA Veterans Hope Center, held a press conference Wednesday to drum up community support and financial donations to obtain and transform the campus.

Fine said other potential bidders expressed concern that the event gave the impression the campus had been sold or the owners were endorsing a particular bidder.

"It is not appropriate for us to disclose who is evaluating and pursuing bidding for the property," he said. "What is reassuring to see is the interest in this property as an opportunity to continue its value to the community by a number of differing groups."

He said the role of Fine & Company, hired as the real estate brokers, is to serve as an impartial facilitator and "assist all buyers in their pursuit of the property."

Previous attempts to sell the property have not been successful.

The campus includes 24 buildings including administration headquarters, library, fine arts building, dining hall, commuter lounge, chapel, gym, four residence halls, an apartment complex, townhomes, single family homes and maintenance buildings. There are also acres of undeveloped land, two ponds and a baseball field.

Potential buyers can tour the campus, by appointment, on Aug. 23, Aug. 30, Sept. 7 and Sept. 14.

Doug Clay, general treasurer of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, said the auction process gives the owner "the ability to establish the terms under which the campus will be sold, and to create a bidding deadline, allowing everyone to participate on an equal playing field."