The former heart of the Charleston community is up for sale.

The Coos Bay School District recently listed the Charleston Elementary School with Pacific Properties. The district is asking for $375,000.

Superintendent Jeremy Lyon said the decision to sell the Charleston property, along with the former Englewood School property, was made by the board earlier this fall. Selling the property will allow the district to possibly return the land to public tax rolls and bring in some much-needed revenue, Lyon said.

The district requested proposals from real estate agents on how they would market the district's properties and received only one proposal - from Jerry Worthen, owner of Pacific Properties.

The Coos Bay School District is using a different method in marketing the Charleston property. Instead of selling Charleston as one unit, the district has broken it up into seven pieces: the school building and six parcels of vacant land, ranging from 1/3 to 3/4 of an acre, that surround the building. Lyon said South Coast Head Start, which currently is headquartered on one piece of the property, is in negotiations to purchase the land.

"We're doing the sale that makes us the most money," Lyon said. "Our agent believes this is the way to do it."

Worthen said he still is working with school officials to determine how to list the former Englewood School property.

"We haven't finalized the details yet," he added.

Worthen said the interest in the Charleston properties has been surprisingly brisk.

"We didn't really know what to expect," he said. "We're enjoying a good response."

Lyon said one of the ideas he's heard for the Charleston property is to demolish the school and carve up the land into residential lots.

"That may be the way to go. The problem is, it is an old school and it needs a lot of work," he said. "It will take a lot of money to recondition it."