School board approves purchase of 8 acres next to Watauga Elementary to ease car-rider traffic

The Washington County Public Schools Board on Monday authorized Superintendent Dr. Perrigan to finalize the purchase of an 8-acre parcel adjacent to Watauga Elementary to create additional parking, staging and a new access road to ease the school’s car-rider line.

The board voted 7-0 to give Perrigan authority to complete the transaction after he told members the property will provide roughly 400 feet of road frontage and “additional property for staging, potentially additional property for playground.” He said the district plans to convert the on-site wastewater treatment to a closed-loop system similar to one installed at Ray Valley.

Why it matters: The parcel is intended to give the school district more options for separating bus and car traffic and reduce the current loop that runs in front of the building. Board members said the additional land could let buses use a separate entrance and allow car traffic to flow on the other side of the campus.

Details, timing and conditions - Size and price: Perrigan described the tract as “exactly 8 acres” and said the sales agreement is at members’ seats. The presentation materials shown at the meeting list an approximate eight-acre footprint; Perrigan said the agreement will use the exact acreage. - Use and design: Perrigan said the district will consult traffic and site-planning experts to design the new access and car-rider circulation. “We do want to talk to experts in this area to make sure that we get the best use out of the system,” he said. - Access and wastewater: A small structure on the property now houses the school’s wastewater setup; Perrigan said buying the parcel would allow the district to replace that with a closed-loop system. - Occupancy and closing: The current sales agreement allows a local cattle farmer to keep cattle on the land through the end of cattle season, so district access likely will not be available until late fall. Perrigan said he expects construction of major changes would likely occur the following year. - Funding: Perrigan said the district will use proceeds from an agreement tied to a state transportation project to help fund the purchase. The district received $202,000 from the state transportation agency as compensation for an easement to build a roundabout in front of the school board office; Perrigan said those funds will be applied to this purchase and leave some carryover for improvements.

Board discussion and vote Board members asked for clarifications about the parcel’s shape, conservation restrictions on adjacent land and whether the maintenance budget could fund follow-up improvements. Perrigan said the maintenance budget contains some funds for improvements but he did not expect construction to begin before the next calendar year. After discussion, the board approved the purchase 7-0.

Next steps Perrigan will finalize the sale and return to the board with timelines and design recommendations as plans and closings move forward.