Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Span Repurposing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee discusses SPAN school repurposing and ponds project stalled by land and rezoning issues
Summary
Committee members debated whether to invest in costly SPAN school renovations or repurpose/demolish parts of the site, and discussed how the ponds project is delayed because the district lacks deeded land and is awaiting county and developer actions.
The Facilities Committee spent significant time on March 10, 2025, weighing options for SPAN school and related site work. Chair said the district has plans and OSF materials but cannot proceed because the district does not yet have deeded land for the ponds/site; the county and developer processes are causing delays.
“Everything's not ready to go. We're stuck, because we just don't have land yet,” the Chair said, noting conversations with county counsel David Chinnis and others but emphasizing that ordinance readings and county timing were holding up shovel-ready work.
Staff described SPAN’s physical problems — water intrusion, humidity, aging systems — and said portions of the campus (mobiles and a low-grade two-story wing) may need demolition. An initial estimate for extensive renovation of a key two-story section was described as about $10,000,000; committee members questioned the value of spending that sum on a 60-year-old building with layout and ADA limitations.
Committee members raised student-capacity and rezoning implications if SPAN were repurposed. Staff suggested the district could redistribute students among nearby schools (Austin Bailey, Sand Hill, Cyrus/Eagle’s Nest) but emphasized the need for public input and transportation planning. The committee discussed a timeline that would aim for board decisions in September–October to support potential rezoning ahead of a January deadline.
No formal decision was taken. The committee instructed staff to continue negotiations with the county and developer, prepare cost-comparison estimates for renovation versus demolition/repurposing, and plan public engagement if rezoning moves forward.
