Ninety-four acres of Lakeland real estate are now on the table as the ideal site for Lakeland Prep, the proposed $50 million school serving grades 6-12.
Consultants recommended the $1 million purchase at the school board’s Monday night work session.
NEXT WEEK’S LAKELAND STORY
Housing values and the school expansion, taxes and bonds.
The land, owned by the Jones Gilliland Group LLC, is on the west side of Scott’s Creek, between U.S. 70 and Old Brownsville Road. It’s west of the site that Harding Academy considered for its campus in 2008.
The recommended site is the only property evaluated in Lakeland that met all the criteria, including enough space for academic and athletic facilities, pre-existing sewer service, enough power, good road access, convenient location, avoidance of a nearby gas line, and other factors.
Consultants noted that the facility on the conceptual site plan is accurate in size, but the actual configuration may vary, depending on input from the board and the community.
A community input meeting on Lakeland Prep is already scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at Lakeland Elementary.
School board chairman Kevin Floyd urged all interested parents and community members to attend and give input on what they want to see in the academic, athletic, and extracurricular offerings and design of the new school. An online survey will launch the same day for those who can’t attend the meeting.
The land purchase is a bargain at just $10,600 per acre, and the Lakeland School System should snap it up immediately, advised Dr. James B. Mitchell Jr., a founding partner with Southern Educational Strategies LLC and a former Shelby County Schools superintendent.
The purchase would be significantly under budget, as the district initially estimated land might cost as much as $30,000 per acre.
The owners are offering it at a relatively low price in order to support education in Lakeland, Mitchell said.
They are also offering fill dirt from their other property if needed during the school’s construction phase.
Floyd noted that the board has the funds set aside from previous tax revenue and can buy the property outright.The recommended purchase will be on the agenda for the school board’s Jan. 12 business meeting (7 p.m. at Lakeland City Hall).
If the board approves the purchase, their vote will authorize the superintendent and executive committee to proceed with a contingency purchase contract. Such a contract would allow about 90 days for due diligence in confirming the property’s suitability.
Mitchell predicted that developments will spring up around the school as soon as construction starts, just as they did around Houston, Cordova and Arlington high schools. “I have no doubt the same thing can happen in Lakeland,” Mitchell said.
A group of Lakeland citizens contends that the city board’s decision to issue $50 million in general obligation bonds to fund the schools is a hasty decision with negative consequences, and they submitted a petition this month to force a referendum (citywide vote) on the bond issuance.
The Shelby County Election Commission is currently evaluating the more than 1,500 signatures to ensure the petition meets the minimum necessary to pass a vote. At least 827 Lakeland residents who are registered voters must be signatories.
Floyd predicted that citizens will approve the bond issuance. But if it fails, the land purchase is still a good investment for the school, he said.
Board reactions
School board members were enthusiastic about the proposed site:
- Teresa Henry predicted the location would serve the city and the school district well, and she believes the children will like the selection too. “And happy kids make happy parents,” she added.
- Kelley Hale said, “This is so exciting to me. The environmental study area, it’s just unique, and it keeps all the trees around and give it a unique look and feel about what Lakeland already loves.”
- Laura Harrison said, “When I look at the site and the incorporation of the natural areas, I just see Lakeland. Lakeland has been about growth, but we do smart growth in ways that make us uniquely Lakeland.” She also believes that having the conceptual site plan to show people will help make the project more real for Lakeland residents, as well.
- Matt Wright praised the initial site plan for its diverse athletic facilities, good price and the immediate impact on the city. “I think the site is an ideal location for the future of Lakeland and for Lakeland Prep,” he said. “The thing I’m most excited about, though, is the development around the school property that will absolutely generate revenue for our city immediately.” That revenue will be in develoment fees, as well as in increased sales tax revenue. Wright continued, “I do not, for the life of me, see how anybody can say this is not good, when you just heard the former Shelby County superintendent say, ‘You don’t want to wait.’ When you have developers stand up and testify that they want to develop as soon as we start.”
- Kevin Floyd said, “I don’t think there’s a better site location in Lakeland. I’m really excited about it, and I think it provides a great opportunity to educate our students in the manner consistent with the desires and needs of the community.”
Written by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
