The cost of land, and how it would affect a potential bond issue to build a new elementary school in Iola, must be factored before the issue is brought to local voters, Iolan Ryan Sparks said Tuesday.
Sparks comments came at the conclusion of a steering committee meeting, filled with about 30 USD 257 parents, business owners, students and educators.
The thrust of Tuesdays meeting focused on potential sites a dozen were discussed and the scope of what voters might be asked to approve.
Consensus has been building among committee members to pursue a single elementary school, housing preschool through fifth grade; providing new heating and cooling systems for Iola Middle School and Iola High School; and either renovating or building a new science building at IHS.
To mitigate property acquisition costs, Sparks encouraged the district to reach out first to landowners of prospective school sites to determine what the price would be beforehand. Thats because the district still has some leverage if several options are being weighed.
Why dont we narrow it to the top three, talk to the landowners, and get a purchase option on it before we draw a conclusion? Sparks said. If one of those costs $2 million and another is $300,000, it just might be a factor in our decision.
None has any better chance than any other, he continued. It doesnt necessarily mean were going to buy it, but get an option. Theres a 33 percent chance that land may be used, and the price may determine it.
Dan Willis, a USD 257 school board member, agreed, noting having options is the districts biggest piece of leverage.
AS FOR THE sites, committee members weighed the pros and cons of the dozen properties.
A number found minimal favor among the group, because of distance from Iolas downtown core, traffic accessibility issues or infrastructure costs.
A straw poll near the conclusion of the meeting left the committee with four sites they wished to discuss further: undeveloped land north of Allen Community College; a plot of land north and east of the U.S. 54-Kentucky Street intersection; on city-owned property near Cedarbrook Golf Course and south of Oregon Road; or by expanding the Lincoln Elementary School site through new construction and renovating the existing building.
Willis noted neither the steering committee members nor the school district has approached any of the landowners of the sites in question.
Weve approached nobody, but we have had landowners come to us, Willis said.
TUESDAYS 90-minute discussion included whether the district would utilize eminent domain if necessary to secure land.
Iola attorney Chuck Apt explained how eminent domain works.
Its not as arduous as some would contend, Apt said, If you approach it properly.
