$2.3M Parrish land purchase headed for Manatee School Board approval
The Manatee County School Board may approve a $2.3 million land purchase Tuesday, taking the first official action toward building a new high school.
In 2005, the district purchased a piece of land on Martha Road and planned to build an elementary of middle school there. The district wants to buy about 50 acres adjacent to the Martha Road property to make the site big enough to hold a new high school.
The district made the offer on the property, 112601 Erie Road, in early April. The land owned by Aris Horticulture contains a commercial greenhouse.
The potential purchase is one in a series of proposals Greene made to the school board to help balance district enrollment. A new high school north of the river was named one of the biggest priorities for the district during an extensive evaluation done by Ohio-based DeJong-Richter, a firm hired by the board.
The preferred size of a high school site is between 80 and 100 acres, according to district officials. Purchasing the land from Aris would bring the total acreage in that area to the higher estimate. Building a new high school from scratch can cost between $70 million and $80 million. The Aris land and its buildings are assessed at approximately $1.6 million, according to the county.
A new high school would potentially open in time for the 2019-20 academic year, according to the timeline Greene laid out for the school board in February.
The new school would help relieve overcrowding at Palmetto, Lakewood Ranch and Braden River high schools.
Meghin Delaney: 941-745-7081, @MeghinDelaney
Moving and changing
The new high school was just one of the many potential moves the district will make in the next few years to balance enrollment. Other proposals Greene laid out in February include:
- Close down Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School and move the majority of those studnets into Rogers Garden Elementary School, effective for the 2016-17 academic year.
- Move the international baccalaureate program at Wakeland to Johnson Middle School for the 2017-18 year, and discontinue use of Wakeland as a school. The ACCESS program housed at Johnson would move to Harllee Middle, helping pick up enrollment there.
- Open a new elementary school in the north area in time for the 2018-19 year, to provide relief for Mills Elementary. The district does not own any suitable elementary school property in that area yet, but Greene said a new school will be necessary, even if other measures are taken.
- Discontinue use of Blackburn as an elementary school and re-purpose it as an Early Learning Center for all students north of the river for the 2018-19 year. Special programs for high-needs students could also be moved there. Blackburn students would be rezoned to Tillman or Palm View to help bring enrollment at those schools up to capacity. That differs slightly from the company's recommendation for Blackburn.
- Rebuild or do major renovations at Tillman Elementary School to be complete for the 2018-19 year. Although not included in the timeline, Greene also anticipates a rebuild or major renovation project at Oneco Elementary in the new future.
- Convert Harllee over the course of the next few years to a school for gifted students.
This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "$2.3M Parrish land purchase headed for Manatee School Board approval."