The future of the old Four Peaks Elementary School building is up in the air right now, and that’s cause for concern for Kunal Naik. Naik is the CEO of Fine Timepiece Solutions, which has operated out of the building since 2019.

On May 9, the Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board voted to put the Four Peaks building on the ballot, most recently used as an EVIT satellite campus. Naik spoke with the Board on Wednesday, July 10, seeking more clarity on the building’s future.

Naik’s concerns stem from the limited time between the vote this November, and when his lease ends in December. All current leases within the building expire on Dec. 31, and Naik asked the Board if he could negotiate an extension and receive several months’ notice if anything happens to the building.

“For us to pack up everything that we have invested in that space and to move out in a matter of five months would be very, very difficult for us,” Naik said. “We have put quite a bit into that building. That’s hard for us to just uproot ourselves and uproot our employees and leave in five months.”

Fine Timepiece Solutions installed a clean room to prevent elements like dust and humidity from getting inside their manufactured watches. The space is expensive and not portable, and Naik worries a fast exit would be damaging to his company.

Superintendent Dr. Cain Jagodzinski offered verbal comfort and said there is no intention to kick tenants out when leases expire on Dec. 31. He said he’d like to offer extensions, but only up to the point where it does not conflict with a potential sale/lease/exchange.

Jagodzinski communicated with Naik and other tenants through personal letters while the Board discussed possibilities. Jagodzinski told Naik during the Board meeting that he will have more clarity on what kind of extensions and notice he will be able to give tenants in September.

“Even if the election passes, that doesn’t mean we have to make a decision right away,” Jagodzinski said. “It’s going to take a while for anyone, first of all, to make a proposal [and] go through that process. I’ve stated in the letters that I would like to do everything I can to help any of the businesses in there relocate and help them have the time to do that. I do stand by that, the best that I can.”

Board members Jill Reed, Dana Saar and Lillian Acker pushed Four Peaks’ fate to the ballot in a 3-2 vote. In the 12 months leading up to that May 9 vote, FHUSD had reportedly lost $116,101 on Four Peaks between maintenance costs and rent income.

Jagodzinski said his intention is to give tenants at least a six-month extension past the current expiration date, but that nothing was concrete. He also added that every dollar spent on Four Peaks is a dollar taken away from local students.

The Board has two scheduled meetings in September when Jagodzinski could offer further clarity. There is a business meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6, and a work study session at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.