Three bidders drove the sale price of the former Butler Middle School to $475,000 at a Thursday hearing in Common Pleas Court.

Pittsburgh self storage developer Steve Mitnick was the high bidder, but the sale is contingent upon him obtaining zoning approval from Butler to convert the old school building into a combination of storage units and salon suites, which he said he plans to rent to hair, fingernail, cosmetology and tattoo salons.

The other bidders were Dennis Tiche and Sumner McDaniel.

The initial bids were $115,000 from Tiche, $150,000 from McDaniel and $200,000 from Mitnick, but the bids quickly increased until Mitnick offered $475,000 for the building and four lots that make up the school property.

The school closed at the end of the 2021-22 school year.

After the hearing, Mitnick, owner and president of STORExpress, which has a storage facility on Route 8 in Slippery Rock, said it would take six months to a year to open after obtaining the zoning approval.

“It’s very exciting. It’s a great development for Butler, and it creates business opportunities,” Mitnick said.

The front part of the building has enough space for 70 salons, and Mitnick said he would help businesses get started by providing service chairs, furniture, sinks for washing hair and ventilation for working on fingernails.

He said he would rent the salon spaces for $200 to $300 a week, and his cost to development building is $150 per square foot. Donovan Thompson, of Butler, will be his project manager.

Mitnick said he has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a masters in business from Carnegie Mellon University.

Butler Area School District solicitor Tom Breth said the Pennsylvania School Code dictates processes school boards can use to sell unused and unnecessary buildings and property, and Thursday’s hearing was a combination of the public auction and private sale options.

Court approval is required in the private sale option, according to the School Code, and Judge Kelley Streib declared the building sold contingent upon zoning approval.

If the sale to Mitnick falls through, the building will be sold to McDaniel for his final bid of $450,000, Streib said.

Breth filed a petition on behalf of the district seeking court approval to sell the building and property.

He told Streib that the district considered all three bidders to be responsible, with the financial means to maintain the building and property.

Each bidder had the opportunity to tell Streib about their plans for building.

Dennis Sloan, an attorney representing Tiche, said he couldn’t publicly disclose Tiche’s plans, but he said the plans included tenants.

Engineer Joe Gray represented McDaniel, saying his plans called for commercial use on the first floor and mid-to upscale apartments on the second and third floors. He said the plans fit the property’s R-3 high density residential district zoning requirements.

Attorney Brian Lindauer, who represented Mitnick, said Mitnick is a self storage developer with 15 facilities in the area. He said the plans require zoning approval from the city.

The district has been trying to sell the building since it closed, and rid itself of the $197,000 annual cost of maintaining the vacant structure.

At the time of the school’s closing, the district was in talks to sell the building to Pittsburgh Gateways for $1, but the agreement fell through.

The district then considered renovation, reuse or demolition. The demolition costs was estimated at $2 million.

Tiche offered $115,000 to buy the building in October, but other offers were made after sale proceedings began.

The building was originally constructed in 1917 to serve as a high school, and sat next to a yellow brick junior high.

The school received a new name in 1937, John A. Gibson High School, after a former superintendent of the district.

Then, in 1960, the district constructed a new high school, and the current one was converted into a junior high.

In 1985, the yellow brick school was closed and razed. In 1994-95, a new building was constructed on the lot and was connected to the 1917 building to form the most recent rendition of the building. The building operated as the Butler Middle School until 2022.