Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Exchange topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Norman Public Schools approves land exchange with City to secure Adams Elementary playground and park access
Summary
The Norman Public Schools Board approved a no‑cost land exchange with the City of Norman that gives the district 1.422 acres including the Adams Elementary playground and transfers about 2.5 acres to the city, clearing the way for unified park ownership and future improvements.
The Norman Public Schools Board of Education on April 14 approved a no‑cost land exchange with the City of Norman that transfers roughly 2.5 acres to the city and conveys 1.422 acres to the district, including the playground area adjacent to Adams Elementary.
District staff presented the proposal and said the swap would give the city contiguous ownership of High Meadows Park, improving the city’s eligibility for park grants and long‑term master planning, while giving the district land adjacent to Eisenhower and Adams elementaries for potential future parking or campus needs. "This would allow us to secure that area from the city, and allow us to actually have our playground on the property line within property lines," Justin Milner said during the presentation.
The exchange also includes an additional 0.588 acres that currently overlay tennis courts near Eisenhower; Milner said the district would leave the tennis courts in place for now and take ownership of the parcel if the city later relocates the courts as part of a rec center master plan. He said the city and district have worked to arrange an agreement that serves both municipal park planning and school campus needs.
Board members asked whether students would retain access to High Meadows Park after the transfer; Milner said yes and said the district expects to return to the board with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the city within about a month to formalize access and related terms. He also said the city attorney is reviewing whether a use easement could be included; the MOU would capture other items regardless of easement availability.
The board approved the motion to authorize the exchange. On the roll call, Dirk O’Hara, Alex Regiers, Annette Price, Dawn Brockman and Tori Collier voted yes.
Meeting minutes and staff materials say the land split is approximately 2.5 acres to the City of Norman and 1.422 acres to Norman Public Schools, plus a 0.588‑acre overlay near existing tennis courts that the district would obtain if the city relocates those courts.
