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Ravenna superintendent proposes 11‑acre land swap with county, downtown school demolition cost a barrier
Summary
Ravenna School District proposed swapping 11 acres adjacent to the hospital and Woodlands for the county's West Main School parcel (~2.5 acres). The superintendent said demolition of the downtown school could cost roughly $2–3.1 million; commissioners expressed conditional interest but asked for a swift response from the district's April board meeting.
The superintendent of the Ravenna School District asked the board to consider a proposed land swap: the district would offer roughly 11 acres in the northwest corner of its Chestnut Street parcel (landlocked between a hospital and the Woodlands) in exchange for the county taking ownership of West Main School, a roughly 2.5‑acre downtown parcel that covers a block between Main and Spruce.
The superintendent explained the 11 acres are currently landlocked and the district is exploring long‑term facility plans including a single campus option. He said any downtown building on the West Main site would likely require demolition to make the county parcel usable; demolition estimates discussed in the meeting ranged from approximately $2 million to $3.1 million depending on the assessor and contractor estimates.
Commissioners said they were open to considering the land swap but raised practical concerns: the West Main building needs substantial work or demolition, the county would likely need to put an offering through an appropriate public process, and cost and timing would have to be vetted. One commissioner suggested the board might need to put the property out to bid depending on statutory procurement rules; staff noted that a direct transaction with a political subdivision (the school district) may follow different procedures.
The superintendent said Ravenna's board would need to make decisions quickly—the district's board meets April 7 and asked the county to provide a timeline. Commissioners agreed to review internal constraints and to continue discussions on a short timeline.
Next steps: county staff and the district will follow up quickly to identify whether the swap is administratively feasible, refine demolition/cost estimates, and confirm statutory procurement requirements for transferring property between political subdivisions.
