Collierville School Board approves 25-acre land purchase, $6.5M middle-school renovation and multiple contracts

The Collierville School Board on March 25 approved a contract to purchase 25 acres on Houston Levy Road for $2,500,000, a $6.5 million guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for interior renovations at West Collierville Middle School, awarded a custodial-services contract and several procurement items, and adopted a change to district purchasing policy to comply with a comptroller review.

The approvals move forward a range of planned capital and operating work for the district, from land-banking for future growth to interior renovations and routine supplies and services. Several approvals included specific contingencies or oversight steps the board recorded on the public record.

Board members voted unanimously to buy a 25-acre parcel north of Bailey Station for $2.5 million, subject to a 90-day inspection and due-diligence period that will begin when Superintendent Dyer signs the agreement. Grayson Vaughn, a representative of Township Development Services, told the board the parcel was selected because other nearby sites suffer from sewer limitations and extensive floodplain that would reduce developable acreage. Vaughn said sewer is available just north of the site and that the site should accommodate a school layout including ball fields. The seller set the price at $100,000 per acre; Vaughn told the board he had asked about another nearby parcel that would have been priced much higher per acre.

The land contract includes contingencies for environmental examinations and permitting; the board may terminate the purchase within the 90-day inspection period for what counsel described as a nominal termination cost (discussed on the record as approximately $100). The board approved the purchase by roll call.

The board also approved a final…