Tea Area board approves purchase of roughly 21.5-acre site for future middle school
Summary
Board authorized purchase of about 21.5 acres for $1,073,000 and granted authority to write closing checks up to $250,000 after due diligence found no environmental constraints; utilities and a minor plat were reviewed as part of the recommendation for a middle-school site.
The Tea Area School District board voted to move forward with the purchase of an approximately 21.5-acre parcel for a future middle school site. The district entered a purchase agreement with Medicor and Mortensen Trust for a purchase price of $1,073,000 plus closing costs and approved authority to write closing checks up to $250,000 if a closing is scheduled before the next board meeting.
Wayne, who presented the due-diligence findings to the board, said the district completed Phase 1 environmental work and six geotechnical borings to about 20 feet. The Phase 1 assessment “did not discover anything that would preclude us from purchasing that property from an environmental standpoint,” he said, and the soil borings found only localized near-surface fatty clays at two locations that would require removal and engineered fill.
Wayne told the board First Dakota Title will handle title insurance and closing, and Stockwell Engineering prepared a minor plat that Sioux Falls has approved within its city jurisdiction; the district will file the plat with the county after closing. Sioux Falls water and sewer staff projected they could provide middle-school-level service to the site in six to 10 years, and Southeast Electric indicated power could be run to the site with some line extension work.
Board members said the parcel’s size—about 20 acres—should accommodate a building, parking, athletic fields and a potential small bus barn. After questions about closing costs, the board approved a motion authorizing the purchase and giving staff the authority to write closing checks up to $250,000.
Next steps noted by staff include final title work, filing the minor plat with the county after closing and continuing site preparations and planning work for a middle-school timeline and site remediation where needed.
