Schools to sell land

If voters approve a $20.5 million bond in May, Sisters Middle School students will move out of the aged facility on Locust Street and into the 10-year-old high school.

The school board agreed on Monday night, April 9, to then sell the approximately 3.5 acre middle school site, using most of the proceeds to pay down the bond that will construct a new 700-student high school.

"We've all talked about the need to be clear about what we're going to do about the disposition of the middle school," board chairman Bill Reed said. "I think that's an important part of the bond campaign."

Reed estimates the value of the property, with General Commercial zoning, at up to $1.5 million. The board voted to hold on to $500,000 from sale proceeds to fund future administrative offices and to create a maintenance reserve for the district.

There was considerable debate over whether the district should keep the old brick building that fronts Highway 20 and remodel it for district offices. According to district construction manager Bob Martin, a remodel is estimated at $200,000.

If the legislature passes a measure requiring earthquake safety retro-fitting, the cost would skyrocket, Martin indicated.

Board members also noted that the highway frontage property is the most valuable part of the whole parcel.

The decision to sell the land was presented as a good faith gesture to the voters to push the cost of the new high school bond down. In a voter survey, many indicated that they wanted to know what the district planned to do with the current middle school site.

"I believe we are going to have a close election and anything we can do to ensure the passage is critical," said board member Glen Lasken. "I think we have to do this to pass the bond."

Lasken also proposed that the district commit now to using any systems development charge funds to pay down the bond. House Bill 2288, currently under consideration in Salem, would allow SDCs to be charged for schools.

SDCs are assessed on new homes to compensate for the impact of growth on infrastructure.

The board emphasized that they are not taking a position on SDCs, only indicating where the money would go if they are ever assessed.

Schools superintendent Steve Swisher said SDCs could generate roughly $2 million in the Sisters School District over a period of years.

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Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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