School board approves land purchase agreements

On Tuesday, the LPS Board of Education voted to approve two land purchase agreements.

One is for spending $1.5 million to buy land south of Rokeby Road between 70th and 84th streets.

The other is for a land exchange around property LPS already owns near 40th and Yankee Hill Road.

“Both of these purchase agreements are just that — agreements to enter into the process of purchasing the sites — so neither one of them are complete until the whole….closing of the transaction, whenever that might occur,” said LPS Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Dr. Liz Standish.

Dr. Standish said these agreements are necessary because Lincoln is growing in all directions.  In fact, LPS owns land at around 10 different sites in the city.  It’s always looking for additional land for potential sites to build schools.

In this most recent agreement, it wants the land in southeast Lincoln because there’s significant development.

“Wysong Elementary, which would be the next closest school to the site, is reaching capacity,” Dr. Standish said.  “So we know that in our long–range planning, we have to consider additional sites in that area.”

She said the land exchange agreement is to work with developers of the bordering properties and plan according to how that the area has developed.

Tax payers need not fear.  Dr. Standish said the purchases would be included in the bond campaign the public voted on in 2014.

Dr. Standish said next fall, they’ll begin working on plans for building new schools.