Othello School Board talks sports complex
Cheryl Schweizer <Staff Writer> | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years AGO
OTHELLO — Whether or not to ask voters to approve a separate levy for a new sports complex was the subject of discussion at the regular meeting of the Othello School Board Wednesday.
Board members will sponsor a workshop to discuss some of the options at 6:15 p.m. Jan. 9, prior to the next board meeting. The board is in the preliminary discussion stages of a “capital levy,” which would have to be approved by district patrons.
The board has entered into an agreement to buy 81.14 acres along Lee Road, between Seventh and 14th streets. The agreement becomes final in mid-January. The tentative plan is to use the site for the new sports complex and eventually a new Othello High School. Board members have discussed offering the capital levy to voters sometime in 2017, and a construction bond sometime in 2018.
Board member Tony Ashton said he didn’t see any risk to buying the property. “If we can’t use it, we’ll sell it.” The district would benefit even if it kept the land, but didn’t build a high school, he said. The site of Wahitis Elementary was purchased a decade or more before the school was built, he said, and its proposed purpose changed over time. “But if they hadn’t bought it, we would’ve been in trouble.”
Board members, when thinking about possibilities for a sports complex, came up with a track and football field (with artificial turf), baseball and softball fields, a soccer field, parking, bathrooms, concession stand and bleachers. They asked a pair of companies for estimates, which were discussed at the board meeting.
The estimate from Hella Construction was $23 million, and $13.8 million from Architects West. Architects West also provided an estimate for a smaller project, including the track and football field, bathrooms, parking and concession stand. That estimate was $8.8 million.
Ed Champagne, a principal architect at Architects West, said the property lacks water and sewer services, and the cost of developing those is unknown. For that reason the estimates include sizeable contingencies, Champagne said.
“I have as many questions for you as you have for me,” Champagne said. A more precise estimate would require more detailed information on what would be included. “In my mind an athletic complex includes whatever we can build for $5 million,” Ashton said.
Board member Rob Simmons said he based his estimate of $5 million on a project built in phases, or one that was constructed as part of a new high school. He suggested the board come up with an amount and ask for an estimate of what the district could get for its money.
Board members asked for an estimate at $7.5 million, and $5 million. Champagne said the biggest unknown is the cost of infrastructure development.
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ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER <STAFF WRITER>
Othello School Board approves property purchase
OTHELLO — The Othello School Board has approved an agreement to purchase 81.14 acres of land along 14th Street and Lee Road. The district will pay $2.4 million to the current owner, Terra Gold Farms. The draft agreement was approved during the regular board meeting Monday. The land is located at Lee Road between Seventh and 14th streets. Assistant superintendent Gina Bullis said there are no plans to build on the property now, but district officials plan to keep it as a site for any additional schools. The sale should be completed by the end of January. In other business, a discussion of a site visit to Wahitis Elementary prompted questions about traffic on 14th Street. Construction closed part of 14th Street during the spring, summer and fall, including the stretch in front of Wahitis Elementary. Prior to construction the road had a four-way stop outside Scootney Springs Elementary, but the stop signs were removed during construction and haven’t been replaced. Board member Juan Garza said he had received inquiries about the stop signs, and whether they would be reinstalled. “It sounds to me like they (the stop sign removals) are permanent, right? It’s going to stay that way.” Bullis said she had received inquiries too, and had asked city officials about them, including a question at the Othello City Council meeting earlier Monday evening. City manager Wade Faris told her, Bullis said, the city wasn’t required to reinstall them. The original purpose was to eliminate some of the congestion on 14th, Cemetery and Ash streets when kids and parents were coming and going from Scootney Springs. City officials think the extra lanes will accommodate any congestion, she said. Board member Mike Garza said the stop signs were installed as the result of a traffic study conducted by the district at the city’s request. He asked if the city had done an additional traffic study prior to removal. Bullis said city officials didn’t give a reason for the change. Mike Garza also asked if city officials planned to paint crosswalks across 14th Street at Wahitis Elementary. “I noticed there are no crosswalk designations across 14th” at the school, he said. Bullis said she would ask city officials.
Othello School District land purchase moves ahead
OTHELLO — The Othello School Board is scheduled to review a draft purchase and sale agreement for 78 acres of property along Lee Road at its Oct. 10 meeting.
Othello School Board discusses 14th Street with city officials
OTHELLO — Traffic, traffic flow and pedestrian safety, especially for elementary students, were the subjects of a lengthy discussion at the Othello School Board meeting Monday.