The administration of the Genoa School District is still attempting to find a buyer of the Brunner Elementary School building and has been in talks with someone interested in the building.

Superintendent Dennis Mock walked through the building located in the Village of Genoa this week with a potential buyer.

Mock couldn’t be reached for comment but Bill Nye, district treasurer, said the person met with the superintendent Tuesday at the building.

“We don’t have an actual proposal yet,” Nye said, “But we do have an individual interested.”

Nye declined to name the prospective buyer but described the person as “local.”

If the administration can find a buyer for the Brunner building, the district would not only realize a gain from the sale but would also avoid the costs for abating any asbestos in the building and demolishing the building.

Nye estimated those costs – which would be shared by the district and Ohio School Facilities Commission – would cost the district about $90,000.

Brunner and Allen Central Elementary School were closed at the end of the 2010-11 school year and a contract for the demolition of Allen has been awarded. The administration has held a public auction for the Brunner building but didn’t receive any bids.

The district is putting the finishing touches on a new elementary school at the campus on Genoa-Clay Center Road that will open for the coming school year.

The administration gave an update Tuesday on that building project for members of the board of education.

Bleachers for the gymnasium, computer servers, and furniture for the music room were expected to be delivered within the next couple of weeks, according to Nye.

“Things are going pretty well,” he said, adding that Mock and representatives of the Ohio School Facilities Commission, which is providing approximately 58 percent of the funding for the new building, conducted a “punch list” walk-through Wednesday.

The building’s heating and air conditioning systems were also tested this week.

A dedication for the building, which will house kindergarten through fifth grade classes, is scheduled for Aug. 14 from 2-4 p.m.

In other business Tuesday, the board authorized the issuance of up to $500,000 in notes to cover the costs of an energy savings project at the high school.

The project, which needs to be approved by the OSFC, seeks to implement cost savings by replacing windows, lighting, and heating controls at the school.

Nye said the district has been working with Honeywell and the company has identified the potential annual savings that would offset the cost of the notes.

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