мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼

In an alumni newsletter, the college's board of trustees announced that CBRE was selected as the broker to oversee the sale of the campus. Ingenuity Advertising will serve as the project manager. 

According to the board, one of CBRE's practice areas is focused on the sale of higher education institutions. 

Wells said marketing of the campus will begin shortly and there has already been interest in purchasing the 300-acre property. 

"Those and any other subsequent proposals we receive will be shared with CBRE and will be evaluated along with others received as a result of CBRE's outreach efforts," the board wrote. "While there is no reasonable way to predict, we anticipate that the process of finding a viable buyer for the campus may take a year or more to complete." 

It's unclear how a potential sale would affect the Community Medical Center and Peachtown Elementary School, which continue to operate on the Wells College campus. Both entities hope to stay at their current locations. 

The board said it "must sell the campus in order to fulfill our financial and regulatory obligations, and in order to complete the wind-down and dissolution. There is no practical way that we can donate or transfer the ownership of the campus to another entity." 

Meanwhile, Wells College has also hired the famed auction house Christie's to sell other assets. Christie's representatives have already visited the campus and appraised some of the college's holdings, according to the update from the board. 

Aurora leaders and the Wells Legacy Society, an alumni group that formed to preserve the college's history in the Finger Lakes region, have been concerned about the archives, books and other materials. Instead of selling the assets, they want to see the artifacts kept in Aurora. 

"The Wells Legacy Society is prepared to hold Wells and the board of trustees to task and ensure that the attorney general is aware of the plans put forth in this morning's email," said Rachel Snyder, the group's president. "However, we want to fight for the artifacts remaining in public hands, whether that'd be in a museum or institution where they can be enjoyed by many for generations to come." 

But Wells is advancing plans to sell the assets. The board noted that Christie's has "advised Wells on the best practices for the preservation of such materials until they are relocated to their new owners, and we are carefully following their expert guidance. Christie's will move and store at-risk items." 

There are some assets that won't be sold, including the bells, book arts equipment, stagecoaches and stained-glass windows. 

The statue of Minerva, which was damaged while college staff attempted to move it in June, won't be sold. The board revealed the statue is being stored in the college's fire-proof vault and has been inspected by a conservator, who assessed the damage and recommended restoration plans "depending on Minerva's ultimate destination." 

"(T)hat destination remains under consideration with the many factors that are important to Wellsians, including access to Minerva in a protected, permanent site," the board added. "Once that site is finalized, repair work will begin." 

What's not included in the update from Wells College is whether this plan to sell the campus and other assets has been approved by the state attorney general's office. In a previous newsletter, the college's board of trustees said it would take "substantial time" to develop a dissolution plan, which must be submitted to the attorney general. 

Wells College also addressed community concerns about the preservation of campus buildings. One of the fears is that if the heat is shut off, pipes may freeze and burst. This could damage artifacts held within the buildings. 

The college consulted with Christie's and the state fire marshal. Based on that guidance, the board said buildings are being winterized and water will be drained from all pipes. 

The board added that Christie's "cautioned Wells that a greater risk of damage from mold and mildew exists if buildings remain heated, since such conditions would promote their growth." 

The updates from the board came six months after Wells College announced it would close at the end of the academic year. The college officially closed on June 30.