Troy seeks more time to decide on land for new schools

Among buildings in the Troy City School District is Kyle Elementary School on South Plum Street near downtown. The Troy school board is seeking additional time to decide whether or not they will buy land to house new school buildings. FILE

Among buildings in the Troy City School District is Kyle Elementary School on South Plum Street near downtown. The Troy school board is seeking additional time to decide whether or not they will buy land to house new school buildings. FILE

Troy board of education members want more time to determine if the district will buy land that could house new school buildings.

Troy City Schools Board of Education agreed last week to seek additional time from owners of 58.67 acres of land off Ohio 55 and Nashville.

The land that lies just west of Troy was the selected site for two elementary schools proposed for construction with a bond issue that was defeated by district voters in November.

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“We are not doing anything more than trying to preserve the available option of the land that seemed to be appropriate for our use,” said board President Doug Trostle.

“This allows us time to continue our conversation with the community and with our professionals to look at our district and come up with the best solutions long term,” he said.

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The board in August voted to approve a real estate agreement under which the district would purchase the property for $733,375, contingent on bond issue approval. The agreement was scheduled to expire Dec. 31.

The board’s vote would extend the time members have to decide on purchase until Dec. 31, 2018.

The vote authorized Superintendent Eric Herman and Treasurer Jeff Price to work with owners Ann Huegel and Charles Isern and to pay up to $25,000 for the additional consideration by the owners and the extension on purchase through 2018.

“This keeps our options open,” said departing board member Joyce Reives. She will leave the board at year’s end. Bill Overla, elected to the board in November, joined the board members in a one-hour closed executive session before the vote.

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Herman said the board would continue the process of exploring options for construction, either at the Ohio 55 site or another location, in January.

“We need to continue that conversation,” Trostle said of whether the proposal that was before voters in November was the best for district students.

The defeated bond issue would have paid for two elementary schools for prekindergarten through grade six and improvements at Troy High School.

The district now has six elementary buildings, a sixth-grade building, a junior high and a high school.

Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com

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