WV district buys land for additional parking

The West Valley School District is purchasing residential property across the street from the high school to be used for a parking lot.

The board voted to purchase the home, located on Vista Road, for $105,000 at its regular meeting Wednesday night.

“The new (high school) building is going to be built fairly close to the road, and we need that space,” said Superintendent Dave Smith.

Voters passed a 20-year, $35 million bond in May to renovate the high school, build additions to the district’s four elementary schools and complete maintenance work on its two middle schools.

The school district approached the owners of the home, and they agreed to sell, Smith said. The house was appraised for $5,000 less than what the district paid, he said.

“We did not use eminent domain, and we don’t intend to approach anyone else,” Smith said.

Under the concept of eminent domain, the government has the right to take property for public use and is typically used as a last resort when a property owner refuses to sell and no other land will meet the need.

“We don’t think that is appropriate,” Smith said. “We don’t want our neighbors looking at us thinking, ‘When are they going to come and take our place away?’ “

The house is across the street from the events entrance in the proposed plan for the new high school and will be used for a parking lot because the construction of the new gymnasium would take up part of the existing parking lot.

“We’re losing about 40 spaces,” Smith said. The new property would provide about 35 extra spaces.

The high school project is expected to be completed around the fall of 2007.