Twinsburg leaders discuss land swap between city and school district to site new elementary school

Twinsburg city and school officials met on Jan. 2, 2025, to review a potential land swap that would give the school district part of a city-owned parcel between Ravenna and Chamberlain roads in exchange for most of the Dodge property, the two parties said. The meeting was informational; no formal land-transfer agreement or council vote was taken.

The school board representatives said the district needs a site for a new pre-K–6 building after residents raised concerns about the district's earlier stadium-related plan. Superintendent Jim Power described the Ravenna-Chamberlain parcel as “a beautiful piece of property” and said architects had sketched renderings showing where an elementary school, parking and playgrounds could fit. Mayor Sam Scappiti said the meeting was intended to give each side the same information and to keep questions and concerns focused on the land-swap concept.

Nut graf: The swap under discussion would trade roughly 19½ acres of the Dodge site (after the district reserves about 9 acres for athletic fields and parking) for about 25½ acres the city owns between Ravenna and Chamberlain roads. Both sides said several technical and timing issues need resolution before either body could approve anything: appraisals, environmental reviews, a purchase-and-sale agreement and coordination with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) and the Board of Elections for the district’s proposed bond timing.

School staff said the Dodge parcel includes the varsity and the girls’ practice soccer fields — about 7 acres the district wants to retain — and that parking for games and trail users would require roughly 100 spaces (roughly 1–2 acres). City staff and council members raised service-department needs for yard and facility space and said the city’s service department has been assembling a list of its requirements.

Officials clarified several legal and financial points in the meeting: the OFCC contract obligates the district to demolish obsolete buildings as part of the project and provides an approximate $15 million reimbursement the district expects to receive; that reimbursement is tied to OFCC timing and cost schedules and would remain in place only while the district maintains its OFCC contract. The district said it has performed environmental tests and soil borings on its properties and offered to share those reports; the city said it had not yet ordered appraisals or an independent environmental review of the Ravenna-Chamberlain parcel.

Several practical issues were discussed but not resolved: egress and access to the Ravenna-Chamberlain site (including possible use of drive access involving Real Gospel Church and Pastor Wilson), exact acreage the district would need from the Dodge site, where parking would be located, and whether the city would need to rezone or obtain ballot approval for new service facilities. Bond timing was a recurring constraint: the board must adopt two resolutions for a May ballot and, if the district does not file in that window, it may need to restart its OFCC process, which could delay or change the OFCC reimbursement calculations.

Mayor Scappiti and several council members expressed willingness to negotiate but said they were not prepared to waive required council readings or pass emergency legislation without full information. Council members encouraged staff-to-staff follow-up, appraisals and site evaluations so both sides could return with precise acreage and draft transactional language. Superintendent Power said the board is trying to reduce the bond amount from the $107 million figure voters rejected in November toward roughly $96–97 million, in part by avoiding a new stadium and reusing existing athletic facilities.

No formal motion to approve a land swap, binding agreement or vote on the project was taken at the meeting. The session ended with an agreement to continue working through appraisals, environmental reviews, access negotiations and the drafting of purchase-and-sale terms. Officials agreed to return to their respective bodies with more detailed information and timelines.

Ending: Both sides described the meeting as informational and constructive. School and city staff will pursue appraisals, share environmental reports, refine acreage needs and continue negotiations; the district emphasized it still must meet OFCC and Board of Elections timelines if it wants a May ballot placement.