Land Purchased for Future Development
Belle Valley School District has purchased 44.32 acres of agricultural land from the Green Mount Cemetery Association. The property is located within the boundaries of the school district on Amann Drive. It will serve as the centerpiece for future development in the District.
Over the past several years, the Belle Valley School Board has researched the district’s long term facility needs. In 2005, they engaged the services of Dr. Charles Kofron to complete a geo-demographic study of the district including demographic trends, school enrollment projections, and real estate analysis. At the same time the district’s architect, EWR, completed a thorough Health/Life Safety review of the school buildings to determine the immediate and long term facility needs. Extensive structural and safety limitations of Belle Valley South School, along with expected housing growth and development, led the Board to consider other building options.
Belle Valley Board of Education Building Committee members, Gaines Smith and Ken Vaughn, along with Board President, Tom Feder, explored three multi-acre properties within the 7.5 square mile boundaries of the district. Once the Amann Drive property was identified as a likely site for future development, the Board completed an extensive evaluation of the site. They contracted with SCI Engineering to perform a Phase One Cultural Resource Survey, Phase One Environmental Site Assessment, and a subsurface assessment. In addition, they contracted with LTR Land Surveying, Inc. to complete a land survey. An estimate of the market value was also prepared by Collier Appraisers, Ltd. All of the reports showed favorable site development opportunity of the Amann Drive property.
The Belle Valley Board of Education plans to include community members, staff, parents, and other stakeholders in the development of plans for the site.
