District purchases land for future Support Services facility
District purchases property for future Support Services facility
WALLA WALLA Walla Walla Public Schools Board of Directors last night took the first step in replacing the districts aging Support Services facility by unanimously approving the purchase of two pieces of property for a future location. The newly acquired 9.2 acre site is located in a light industrial zoned area west of
This has been a high priority of the school district for years, said School Board President Anne Golden. Although this is just the first step of a long-range plan to replace our Support Services facility, we are excited to get the process started by purchasing this land.
Property specifics:
- Scully property (North 4.7 acres of Scully Property)
- Basta property - (4.5 acres -- 1207 Entley)
Total cost of the property was $864,425. The purchase of the property will be paid for out of the districts Capital Projects Fund and the future sale of the existing Support Services property located at
District Plant Facilities (carpentry, HVAC, painting, plumbing, electrical), Facilities Support (warehouse, grounds and custodial), Transportation (school buses and vans), Food Service and Print Shop operations are housed in the Support Services facility. The current site has scored extremely low in several areas on local and national facilities studies.
In April, the districts community led Facilities Task Force was reconvened to study this specific land purchase proposal. Dan Reid of Opp and Seibold General Construction chairs the Facilities Task Force and said during Tuesdays public work session on this property acquisition issue that the group he represents unanimously recommended the school district purchase the 9.2 acre land parcel.
The Facilities Task Force still views the Support Services project as a high priority for the district Reid said. Our task force fully supports this action.
Golden reinforced the location was ideal for this operation. She said the school boards listening campaign last fall revealed community members preferred this facility be located in a commercial area. The current location is in a residential neighborhood spurring traffic and sidewalk safety concerns and problematic noise she said. She also noted the current site of just over two acres is too small for the Support Services complex.
We have been researching a viable solution for improving this facility for years, Golden said. This property was reasonably priced and located in an area which wont have a negative impact on a residential neighborhood. We heard from the community that they did not want this operation located at
Walla Walla Public Schools does not have a timeline for developing the property. For more information, contact Communications Director Mark Higgins at (509) 526-6716 or mhiggins@wwps.org.
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