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Garfield council asks mayor to seek unrestricted deed for former elementary school
Summary
After residents and the mayor raised concerns about restrictive language in a warranty deed offered by the Rogers Public School Board, the Garfield council unanimously directed Mayor Gary Blackburn to ask the city attorney to draft a counterproposal seeking an unrestricted deed for the same price.
Garfield Mayor Gary Blackburn was directed by the city council on Dec. 3, 2024, to ask the city attorney to prepare a counterproposal to the Rogers Public School Board seeking an unrestricted warranty deed for the former Garfield Elementary School property for the same dollar amount offered by the school board. The council voted unanimously to take that step after residents and the mayor flagged language in the deed that they said could limit future uses of the site.
The action followed a presentation by Taylor Sizemore of RST Development Services on the city's properties and suggested options for reuse of the former school. Multiple community members — including Brook Taylor, Whitney Neighbors and others — addressed the council during public comment to say they opposed accepting the warranty deed as written and offered ideas for how the property might be used if acquired by the city.
Mayor Blackburn read portions of the warranty deed during the meeting and said he had concerns about specific verbiage in the document. In response, Council Member Smead moved to instruct the mayor to contact the city attorney to draft "a counter proposal with no restrictions for the same dollar amount" to present to the Rogers Public School Board; Council Member Teeselink seconded the motion. Council Member Kitterman (participating by phone), Council Member Teeselink, Council Member Rambo and Council Member Smead voted yes; the motion passed unanimously.
The transcript does not specify the dollar amount referenced in the motion. Residents in the forum urged uses ranging from community space to other public-benefit uses, but the council's formal action at the meeting was limited to requesting the unrestricted-deed counterproposal from the city attorney. The meeting adjourned at 7:36 p.m.
The mayor is expected to work with the city attorney to draft the counterproposal and present it to the Rogers Public School Board; no further timeline or follow-up date was specified in the meeting record.
