FHS Location

[thewizard16]

http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/63569/

Two points on this article, first is they're adding a stoplight at the Garland/Sixth Street intersection. Although it isn't needed during probably 70-80% of the day, at the getting out of school/off work time, it's a mess, so I think it's probably going to help.

Second is the option of land on Wedington as a location for FHS where a family is "reducing" their asking price for the land by $100,000 and acre and offering to sell the school district a large portion of their land as well as offering to build a road to the site and provide it with utilities.

Although I'm still not pleased with the idea of the school moving (both logistically and financially), nor do I find the idea of the UofA buying the existing campus in any way sensible, that would be a much better location (in my mind) for FHS than out on Deane Solomon.

[zman9810]

That's good news about the light at Garland and 6th. That should help alleviate some of the concerns about traffic around the FHS campus. Maybe the city and district will look into widening Garland north of 6th in the school area to help traffic flow.

Closing Stone Street should also help alleviate a concern about security at the current campus. As a speaker with federal security agency experience said at the session Wednesday night the campus can be as secure as any. It's not the location in town but the on campus procedures that matter.

Another concern has been brought up about the students being in a construction zone while the school is being renovated. I don't get it- Butterfield Elementary will be going through a major construction project for the entire year, yet there hasn't been any major outcry about it. Elementary students would seem to be more easily distracted and disturbed by construction activity than high school students. At the public comment session the other night there was another offensive sterotypical comment about construction workers. This one wasn't about their work like last fall's city workers comment but about the stereotype of construction workers as leering wolf whistling brutes. Shame on the person who used that to try and make their point that they want the school to move.

[zman9810]

The second public comment session of the Select Committee II was tonight with more people than attended the first one and more speakers. I actually kept a running count of how many speakers and what positions they took- let's see what is reported in the news tomorrow. The Morning News reported it about even last session and it certainly didn't seem like it.

One idea was brought up that I hadn't heard before. By keeping the present location there may be some grants for green development available to the school district- that is a definite positive for that position. It would be easier to get LEED certifacation by building at the present site also- something that would do wonders for Fayetteville's sustainabilty image.

One interesting story was that the FHS band rasied $59,000 by selling parking for UA football games last year- that's a lot of cash and wouldn't be feasible elsewhere. It's a small part of a much bigger picture but still something to consider.

[Mith242]

The second public comment session of the Select Committee II was tonight with more people than attended the first one and more speakers. I actually kept a running count of how many speakers and what positions they took- let's see what is reported in the news tomorrow. The Morning News reported it about even last session and it certainly didn't seem like it.

One idea was brought up that I hadn't heard before. By keeping the present location there may be some grants for green development available to the school district- that is a definite positive for that position. It would be easier to get LEED certification by building at the present site also- something that would do wonders for Fayetteville's sustainabilty image.

One interesting story was that the FHS band rasied $59,000 by selling parking for UA football games last year- that's a lot of cash and wouldn't be feasible elsewhere. It's a small part of a much bigger picture but still something to consider.

[zman9810]

Shocking news about the FHS site location process- the Select Committee II has eliminated the Deane Solomon site and reduced the sites considered to the present site and the Morningside site. The facilitator brought in to help with the process says the Morningside site fits all the criteria that the committee is considering so I would imagine that will be the choice.

The Morningside site may indeed be a good site for a second high school some day in the future after the present location is improved to be better than ever and enrollment increases to the point where another school is needed.

NWA Times article

[Mith242]

Shocking news about the FHS site location process- the Select Committee II has eliminated the Deane Solomon site and reduced the sites considered to the present site and the Morningside site. The facilitator brought in to help with the process says the Morningside site fits all the criteria that the committee is considering so I would imagine that will be the choice.

The Morningside site may indeed be a good site for a second high school some day in the future after the present location is improved to be better than ever and enrollment increases to the point where another school is needed.

NWA Times article

[bubba72704]

Interesting, I had always thought Deane Solomon was the top choice if the school was going to move. Both potential sites are near the outskirts of town. The thing about Morningside is that it's pretty far from where it seems most of the growth is occurring in Fayetteville, out west of I-540.

[Mith242]

At first I was pretty skeptical about the Morningside site, however it's beginning to grow on me. This is just a guess, but I could envision them moving the school to the Morningside site now, then 5 or 10 years from now build a 2nd high school on the Deane Solomon site. In which time the infrastructure on the northwest side of town would hopefully catch up to a point that a new H.S. there would be more doable. That's just a theory, tho.

[zman9810]

Yeah I could see that as being an option. Seems to me though if they are going to do a second school then a current site and Morningside location wouldn't be a good option. If Deane Solomon is out then it would seem to me they're either leaning to keeping the current site or building one big school on Morningside, with the option of Deane Solomon at some point in the future.

[OnDickson]

I can't imagine a mileage increase passing if the school board decides to move from the present location.

[cocothief]

My opinions:

The Morningside Dr. area and SE Fayetteville in general have tons of unrealized potential. From a nature standpoint, the areas where our "industrial park" are now located are IMO the prettiest in the city. I'd support this location simply for the boost it will inevitably give that underdeveloped area of the city. Put in the new FHS, along with revitalization of the Walker Park neighborhood, and BOOM. Can you imagine the rural areas SE of Fayetteville if actual green/tech industries ever set up shop down there where the light mfg is now? Talk about some convenient and exclusive real estate.

As for the huge push locally for keeping the current location, I believe it has much more to do with sentimentality than any genuine concern for smart urban planning. I have family who went to FHS and they are sentimental as hell about that school. My old high school has been demolished since I attended it. I didn't care one whit.

FHS is not really in a central location to most of the population, no matter how many times its said.

Two high schools makes the most sense for a city the size of Fayetteville. Last year's slight student decline aside, it will eventually happen within 10-15 years out of sheer necessity.

Emotion is playing too big a part in this discussion, and reason is getting pushed aside.

[Snaple4]

I am currently in the process of moving my voting rights to Fayetteville. Even though I think any site that has been considered would have worked out just fine, If the Deane site had been selected I would not have voted for a tax increase. The two sites left, I am about 50-50 on a yes to no vote. I hate higher taxes and large government but education is one of the Public amenities that I think should be heavily funded by the general population.

So, what to do... Damn decisions...

[thewizard16]

http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/64455/

Well, the committee looks to be favoring the Morningside site.

I have mixed feelings about this. Location wise, I don't think it's a great choice, but it's better than Deane Solomon. I think the current location is great, but admit that redevelopment would be logistically difficult (to say the least) to accomplish while still holding classes, and would probably be nearly as expensive as building new. I still feel that the Wedington site is an excellent location, and it is more centrally located (linearly) with what is now Fayetteville, and would likely be the best location considering future growth. On the other hand, the current site is more centrally located to what is "dense" (downtown) Fayetteville, and I like that too. I don't feel the Morningside site is centrally located to much of anything (almost the same way I felt about Deane solomon, but not quite as extreme). I personally would like to see it build on the Wedington site, but the problem with the Wedington site is clearly traffic flow. Wedington is already extremely busy and ill-equipped to handle current traffic flow (especially around 540), and adding the high school to that would give it a whole new level of horror. Without extensive (AKA expensive) traffic flow adjustments and street improvements, the Wedington site would be unsuitable solely due to traffic reasons, and I don't see that being resolved.

So, basically, the best location (in my opinion), is not an option, and the worst locations (once again, opinion) are the only ones left available to build new at.

[jdevers]

Hopefully the Rupple extension when finalized will remove a lot of the burden from Rupple to 540 on Weddington. By the time it is done though there will probably be a lot more traffic in the first place and it will be a wash.

[Mith242]

They held a meeting today. I heard it suggested that this could decide it for good. Not sure if that's true or not. I wasn't there at the meeting but if I heard correctly they voted 6-1 in favor of selling the current site. But like I said I'm not sure about the details or if this really is a done deal.

[zman9810]

The Fayetteville school board decided to put the school up for sale for $59 million. As the article says- this does not mean it will be sold or the school moved- just that they formally decided to do what we all knew they where going to do anyway. It's good to see that at least one school board member understands that it is a bad idea. The process of negotiation with the university hasn't started yet and when it does there are many chances for them to fail. Hopefully someone with the UA board of trustees will see the financial folly of spending $59 million for a collection of buidlings that will have to have many more millions spent on them to be the type of facilities that the university should have. Paying $1.5 milllion per acre for land that will need more cash spent on it to be usable is a mistake.

Even if the school is sold there will still need to be a millage increase in order to finance a new school. If the voters who are against any tax increase on principle and the voters who are against moving the school show up at the poll the chance of a tax increase passing are very low. With the economy the way it is many people will see this as a extravagant misuse of public money. Hopefully this is taken into consideration before the board paints inself into a corner with contract to sell and not enough money to build anew.

Morning News article

[Ruskin]

The Fayetteville school board decided to put the school up for sale for $59 million. As the article says- this does not mean it will be sold or the school moved- just that they formally decided to do what we all knew they where going to do anyway. It's good to see that at least one school board member understands that it is a bad idea. The process of negotiation with the university hasn't started yet and when it does there are many chances for them to fail. Hopefully someone with the UA board of trustees will see the financial folly of spending $59 million for a collection of buidlings that will have to have many more millions spent on them to be the type of facilities that the university should have. Paying $1.5 milllion per acre for land that will need more cash spent on it to be usable is a mistake.

Even if the school is sold there will still need to be a millage increase in order to finance a new school. If the voters who are against any tax increase on principle and the voters who are against moving the school show up at the poll the chance of a tax increase passing are very low. With the economy the way it is many people will see this as a extravagant misuse of public money. Hopefully this is taken into consideration before the board paints inself into a corner with contract to sell and not enough money to build anew.

Morning News article

[andrewjensen]

$59M is a starting point. I'm sure the UA will counter-offer much lower and if they do buy it, it will be in the $40M or less range if they do it at all. I'll go out on a limb right now and say there is no way the UA pays $59M for the property. No way. Short of paying a football coach his full buyout even when he violates his contract, I can't think a more irresponsible use of funds the UA could be capable of.

Purcell voting 'no' because she says it's worth $85M is just another reason to shake your head at city government. At least come up with a reason that makes sense for voting against it.

[zman9810]

How do you propose that they update the existing school? My simplistic back of the envelope calculations lead me to believe that it is much more financially feasible to sell the site and build a new school than to upgrade the exisitng facility or attempt to build a new school in the existing location.

I totally agree with your comments on the the University paying $59 million. I would like to know what the second highest offer would be in a public auction.

[Snaple4]

Something we have not quite mentioned... With the greenland school district in trouble and being in threat of consolidation, there might be a good reason the school is moving closer to them and preparing for a larger population base amid a slow growth of the Fayetteville school system.

If Greenland does consolidate, what options do they have? The larger city to the north that is already suppling much of the city with jobs and utilities or the smaller cities to the south.

[Mith242]

Looks like the U of A has decided to go after the property, but they're offering $50 Mil instead of the $59 Mil they were asking for. I don't know if the school board will insist on the $59 Mil or if they'll basically haggle on price till they meet somewhere in the middle. But it does look like the university is interested despite the price tag. Knowing how things sometime go in Fayetteville I almost wonder if this will end up becoming a big drawn out event. With the university being a state entity, I wonder if people from outside the area might possibly become more vocal about the issue. I have heard a few people in other parts of the state object to it.

[thewizard16]

Looks like the U of A has decided to go after the property, but they're offering $50 Mil instead of the $59 Mil they were asking for. I don't know if the school board will insist on the $59 Mil or if they'll basically haggle on price till they meet somewhere in the middle. But it does look like the university is interested despite the price tag. Knowing how things sometime go in Fayetteville I almost wonder if this will end up becoming a big drawn out event. With the university being a state entity, I wonder if people from outside the area might possibly become more vocal about the issue. I have heard a few people in other parts of the state object to it.

[Mith242]

There are a significant number of people in this area that object to it, but the University is not a democracy, and it'd take a huge negative response from a lot of people to actually affect whether or not the property is purchased. I really don't know how the University can sensibly use this property in the near future, but once again, it's not a vote on whether this progresses or not, my opinion is not really significant.

[Snaple4]

If Fayetteville, Springdale, Farmington, Greenland continue to grow for another 10-20 years at a good pace then the purchase will be worth it. Even if those towns slow and the northern ones grow enough then it would still be worth it. However it is a huge debt and a huge cost to the students. As long as we keep growing I want to UofA to purchase, even if the current campus is underutilized. It is sad that the property will not be used for private investment but I would rather it be used by a school of any type than another government entity. But as Mith pointed out, our opinions don't matter much and I think that is how is should be.

I posted in the University thing on here an e-mail I received from someone at the HPER. It basically said that they are waiting to see if the property is purchased or not to make a decision on how to expand. That gives the property instant viability. It may not be the most wanted but the current buildings could be used for a new Recreational area. There are several large gyms, many class rooms to utilize as specialized areas and so on. After that there is an abundance of room available to turn into office space and obviously extra classroom space for the more non-traditional classes. The space can even be leased out to a business if done properly. Say a new community college or something.

[Senator]

I went to a talk on campus with Admiral Mike Johnson, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities. He talked for a while about the future of the campus, and put up a 50-year map of the university (which included the FHS location and the elementary school on Garland). He stated very clearly that the university is not pressuring FHS to move. He said that if they don't move, they have already drafted plans, but obviously they would like to have the site.

While a lot of high school buildings might not work so well for UA right now, I think the university knows that it must grab the land now while it has money from the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century and a sympathetic seller. If we don't buy this land right now and it goes commercial, we're never getting it (or if we do, it will be much more than $59 million to do so, and then we would have to tear down shops, restaurants, etc.). As long as the university gets its name on the property, it could even allow some development on the site to make back money while it decides what to do with the land.