2008 Woodie Awards
Negotiations reopen for UA to buy FHS site
Jaclyn Johnson
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: News
Negotiations between the UA and the Fayetteville School District regarding the possible purchase of the current Fayetteville High School site have been reopened, a school board member said.
A Board of Education meeting Feb. 18 authorized district employees to begin conversations with the UA about buying the area.
The final decision to buy and sell the property is under the control of the UA Board of Trustees and the Fayetteville Board of Education, board member Tim Hudson said.
There is no set deadline to complete the negotiations.
"At some point, we may tour the property to take a very close look at potential immediate uses as well as long-term needs," UA chancellor-elect David Gearhart said.
The FHS campus is located on Stone Street, just down the road from the UA campus.
Also under consideration is the impact the sale will have on the high school.
Fayetteville Board of Education members voted to include ninth graders in the high school campus in a March 15 meeting last year. The suggestion was made by the FHS Select Committee, headed by board member Susan Heil.
The board also approved the high school remaining as one school, rather than building at two separate locations.
As a result, FHS must either remain on its current site and accommodate the ninth grade students, or move to a new location and construct a new school.
If the FHS property is sold, it would provide a significant cash flow that would go toward the building of a new high school.
It's hard to see this potential cash flow as a bad thing, Heil said.
However, some community members have opposed the idea of selling, because they think it will be more expensive to start over.
Leading this discussion is the FHS Select II Committee, led by Tim Hudson. The committee's purpose is to give the school board a recommendation as to whether FHS should remain on its current site and attempt major reconstruction or be relocated.
"We are all targeting the committee's recommendation to be in place by the April meeting," Hudson said.
One problem with remaining on site is deciding how to deal with construction while students are still on campus, he said.
Whether the property is sold, an additional property tax will likely be needed to fund the construction, Hudson said.
Authorized to begin conversations with the UA are FHS Superintendent Bobby New, Chief Financial Officer Lisa Morstad and District Attorney Rudy Moore, Hudson said.
Discussion on the topic will continue at the next school board meeting Thursday.
A Board of Education meeting Feb. 18 authorized district employees to begin conversations with the UA about buying the area.
The final decision to buy and sell the property is under the control of the UA Board of Trustees and the Fayetteville Board of Education, board member Tim Hudson said.
There is no set deadline to complete the negotiations.
"At some point, we may tour the property to take a very close look at potential immediate uses as well as long-term needs," UA chancellor-elect David Gearhart said.
The FHS campus is located on Stone Street, just down the road from the UA campus.
Also under consideration is the impact the sale will have on the high school.
Fayetteville Board of Education members voted to include ninth graders in the high school campus in a March 15 meeting last year. The suggestion was made by the FHS Select Committee, headed by board member Susan Heil.
The board also approved the high school remaining as one school, rather than building at two separate locations.
As a result, FHS must either remain on its current site and accommodate the ninth grade students, or move to a new location and construct a new school.
If the FHS property is sold, it would provide a significant cash flow that would go toward the building of a new high school.
It's hard to see this potential cash flow as a bad thing, Heil said.
However, some community members have opposed the idea of selling, because they think it will be more expensive to start over.
Leading this discussion is the FHS Select II Committee, led by Tim Hudson. The committee's purpose is to give the school board a recommendation as to whether FHS should remain on its current site and attempt major reconstruction or be relocated.
"We are all targeting the committee's recommendation to be in place by the April meeting," Hudson said.
One problem with remaining on site is deciding how to deal with construction while students are still on campus, he said.
Whether the property is sold, an additional property tax will likely be needed to fund the construction, Hudson said.
Authorized to begin conversations with the UA are FHS Superintendent Bobby New, Chief Financial Officer Lisa Morstad and District Attorney Rudy Moore, Hudson said.
Discussion on the topic will continue at the next school board meeting Thursday.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Marilyn Davis
posted 2/28/08 @ 8:16 AM CST
Before anyone goes any further, shouldn't the Fayetteville School Board be sure that an increase in property tax is passed? It is not a foregone conclusion that residents will vote to pass such an increase for anything. (Continued…)
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