Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Real Property Sale topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears proposal to surplus 18.439 acres behind Midway Elementary; public hearing, residents request delay
Summary
Staff presented a buyer offer of $115,000 and a near-equal independent appraisal for 18.439 acres behind Midway Elementary School and recommended scheduling a public hearing; residents at the meeting urged the board to delay any sale and seek more transparency about potential development impacts.
District staff presented a request to declare as surplus a parcel identified as 18.439 acres (TP#1878) behind Midway Elementary School following a written offer from Baylor Construction. The company’s offer was $115,000 and an independent appraisal returned a nearly identical value; staff said the buyer’s proposed price and the appraisal differed by only a few hundred dollars.
Director Walters said the parcel is separated from the Midway campus by a buffer and that the 18.439 acres is not needed for school expansion; staff assessed that the district has adequate space at Midway for current needs. Walters said any future zoning or development after sale would be handled by the county and not the school division, and he noted that a sale contract can include a resolution requiring proceeds be retained by the school system.
Walters described the process: when an offer is received the district verifies current and potential uses, obtains an independent appraisal and presents any bona fide offer to the board for consideration. He said the sale was unsolicited rather than the product of a district advertisement and that staff would present comparable offers if others were made; Walters told the board that any higher written offer received would be forwarded for consideration.
Several board members asked for a public hearing and for broader outreach than a legal newspaper notice. Walters and the board agreed to publicize and use an upcoming work session as a hearing opportunity so the public can comment; staff committed to posting on social media and the district’s channels in addition to legal advertisements. Resident Patrick Lloyd, whose property borders the broader set of contiguous parcels, urged the board to delay declaring the land surplus and warned that combined parcels owned by the buyer could lead to residential development that would increase infrastructure burdens.
No final sale or disposition occurred at the meeting. The board instructed staff to schedule a public hearing and gather community input before any final action.
