Well, you would know me :)

Hey, we should have coffee some time. Nice to exchange comments with a resonable and educated poster !
Cheers.........

I do not have access to the minutes so that is one reason I am not too sure about what the district paid for the properties. Been a long time and my memory is not as I would like it to be.

I fully agree with your last statement "I do not think this present board has done a good job of educating the taxpayers on why they need this ~$5 Million to close Footville, and Newark..." I do not know if the schools could have been closed in the 1980s without building additions and as you know, those are difficult to get past the voters in Parkview. Certainly the direction should be to consolidate but I do not see a need to add on in Orfordville just so we can close the Footville building. There has been community based politics since the 1960s or even before and this is what it has come to. For all those who played the political games to keep their schools open, they pretty much have themselves to blame for the current configuration of the elementary schools. It is unfortunate as it is the kids who will have the long bus rides now – could have been centralized by now.

QuestionsComments11
Thanks for your respectful reply. I appreciate it.
No, I am not running for school board, but was on the Parkview board when the Egan property was purchased in the early 80's. I was not on the board, or living in the district when the other properties were purchased.
If you look back at those minutes/records, you will see that the Egan land purchase passed the school board on a 6-1 vote. I am the one who voted no. (and I knew Lynn and liked him a lot) It was a business decision that in my mind did not represent the best interest of all the district tax payers.
I do not think this present board has done a good job of educating the taxpayers on why they need this ~$5 Million to close Footville, and Newark, (which I think should have been done in the 80's.)

The $65K was not for the DeVoe property. It was for the property that was directly behind the DeVoe property. The question at the time was not so much how any of the property was appraised, but rather what the value was for not needing to abandon the current school campus if we needed to expand as the campus was land locked at the time and some of it was being shopped around to developers. The DeVoe Property and the lot behind that property were separate transactions from the Egan farm property as these various parcels came available (the parcel of interest this evening is from the purchase of the farm property). I do not remember what the price was for the DeVoe property and I am not real sure about the other properties but I believe the numbers I listed are in the ballpark – could be wrong as it was a very long time ago. There were also district meetings where all of these purchases were discussed prior to purchasing any of these properties and everyone in attendance voted for the purchase I believe.

Is you name on the ballot for school board this time?

To clarify, I am not against another gas station in town at all. No problem there.
I am simply pointing out the rediculious prices paid in the past for land that was appraised at ~$1500/acre, and because the school wanted it they paid ~$7K per acre. Next was the DeVoe property at ~$65K (your figure) that would no way appraise for that. Once again a screw job because the school board wanted it.
Now that the shoe is on the other foot, you think that because it is just wet land that the school does not currently plan on using they should sell it for HALF the appraised value???
Dumb business on the school board's part. Hands down, especially whe they are trying to get the voters to antie up $5 Million.

I believe the district paid about $85K or so for the whole parcel of land behind the current HS and SW along Highway 11. This was about 15 years ago. This did not include the single lot parcel of land immediately behind the elementary parking lot which I belive cost another $65K or so.

well i dont know what they paid for the land in the first place, but the section that is being sold would not make a difference if they used the rest of the land to build a new high school.
i think get another gas station in town would be a good thing. why not help get more business in town. but if you dont want the distric to sell the land than show up to the meeting and let us know why we should not sell the land to help better the town...

Funny how in the past when the school district needs land they get hosed on the purchase price, but now that it is reversed it is OK to sell for 1/2 the appraised value ??? How about triple value ?? This is just plain stupid.
Or just ask $5 Million and solve all the districts problems.......
Just saying..