City moves to buy Discover site; New Albany board discusses athletic campus, funding and field relocation

The City of New Albany is pursuing purchase of the 49.4-acre former Discover property and has proposed working with New Albany-Plain Local Schools on a linked athletic campus, school and city officials said at the Aug. 25 Board of Education meeting.

The proposal — prompted in part by the elementary school construction on the district campus and the need to relocate baseball and softball fields — would put new game and practice fields, supporting restrooms and a multipurpose building on the Discover site. The city’s planning staff has recommended a short master-planning process and told the board it expects to close on the land within about 90 days, administration members said.

Why it matters: the plan would relieve pressure on the existing campus and create room for future academic buildings, proponents said. It would also change who pays for new athletic infrastructure: the city told the district it would apply a $10 million commitment toward the purchase; board members and staff said that sum had been counted in earlier planning but that the city’s decision to buy the land means the school district’s permanent-improvement funds already earmarked for an athletic project must be reallocated or replaced.

Board discussion focused on three practical questions: the true cost to build and relocate baseball/softball facilities at the Discover site versus renovating or reconfiguring fields at Bevelheimer Park; whether a 50-year lease of part of the Discover property to the district would be the practical model; and how any city gift, private fundraising or corporate partnerships could offset district spending.

Public comment and fiscal concern Everett Gallagher, a New Albany resident, raised the fiscal stakes during public comment. Gallagher said earlier campaign materials and local statements had indicated that an employer or the city would pay for new fields and that removing the Discover property from the commercial tax base could raise property taxes for residents. “With the removal of the Discover property from the tax base, our residents will actually be paying more real estate tax,” Gallagher told the board.

Administration: what the city and district would do next Superintendent Sures told the board the city has proposed funding MKSK, a planning firm, to lead a 4–6 week athletic-campus master-plan exercise for the Discover site and that the city intends to apply $10 million toward its purchase price. "The city is willing to pay to engage MKSK into a site development plan in cooperation with the school district," Sures said. He said the city has verbally proposed a $15 million purchase price for the Discover site and that the previously discussed $10 million would be applied to that purchase.

Sures asked the board for direction to continue collaborative planning with the city and with consulting architects and engineers. After extended discussion among board members, most members signaled support for moving ahead with joint planning and for getting concrete cost estimates comparing two options: (1) build required baseball/softball facilities at Bevelheimer Park, and (2) build the same facilities at the Discover property. Several trustees specifically asked staff to return with “probable cost” estimates rather than full engineered site plans so the board could compare likely budgets and trade-offs before committing funds.

Costs and funding assumptions discussed at the meeting District staff and the construction manager at risk gave a preliminary cost figure the board has used previously: relocating baseball and softball off-campus was estimated at roughly $11.39 million. Board members and administration discussed how the city’s $10 million commitment — described at the meeting as a 10-year, $1 million-per-year contribution toward the project if the city owns the land — would affect the district’s share. The administration said the district would need to identify how to replace that $10 million in permanent-improvement money if the city applies it to the purchase rather than paying construction costs directly.

Alternatives and next steps Board members flagged alternatives: continue planning at Bevelheimer Park (a joint-parks site), advance a smaller scope at Discover focused only on field and support buildings, or retain athletic facilities on campus and expand academic space where possible. Several trustees emphasized the need for more detailed cost comparisons and for continued coordination with the city, the New Albany Company (NACO), and community partners who had expressed interest in naming-rights and capital gifts.

Decision and staff direction By the meeting’s end, a majority of board members asked administration to continue collaborative planning with the city and outside consultants (MKSK and the district’s architects), and to return with comparative probable costs and schedule implications for the Bevelheimer and Discover options. Board leadership also asked staff to pause the more-expensive detailed site work at Bevelheimer until the district has comparative cost estimates for Discover.

What remains unresolved No formal contract or lease with the city was executed at the meeting. The city’s purchase was described by district staff as in process; the administration said it expected the city could close within 90 days but that legal and financial terms still needed formal agreements. The board did not approve any construction contracts or capital expenditures for either option.

Next steps scheduled in public materials include: a city-funded master-planning sequence for the Discover site through mid-October, return of district staff with cost comparisons and feasibility summaries, and continued community and parks-district coordination if the board elects to proceed.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve the Aug. 25 agenda: approved (roll-call: Mr. Wilson—Yes; Miss Fuller—Yes; Mr. Neuloff—Yes; Vice President McCullough—Yes; President Kalinowski—Yes). - Treasurer’s financial items and appropriation adjustments: approved (roll-call recorded; all members voting yes). - Superintendent’s personnel and business items, including credentialed evaluators and an announced donation flow-through: approved (roll-call recorded; all members voting yes). - Motion to convene executive session to discuss property purchase/sale (Ohio Revised Code 121.22(G)(2)): approved (roll-call recorded; all members voting yes).