Lincoln Public Schools to purchase two high school sites
The Lincoln Board of Education will consider two land purchases during the next regular Board meeting on Tuesday, November 26. The two properties — one in northwest Lincoln and the other in southeast Lincoln — would be large enough for the construction of new high schools, along with athletic complexes as identified by the proposed updated 10-year Facilities and Infrastructure Plan.
“For many years Lincoln Public Schools has had an established process that allows the school district to purchase land throughout Lincoln, positioning us for future growth,” said Liz Standish, associate superintendent for Business Affairs. “This is a time-tested process that has served us well as our city continues to grow and our student enrollment increases.”
“This was an extensive and thorough process. The proposed high school sites are in areas of residential growth guided by the broader Lincoln and Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan.”
As the LPS Community High School Task Force began its work in September 2017, staff at LPS began looking at sites that would be compatible with recommendations from both that task force and the more recent Superintendent Facility Advisory Committee.
“We knew this was on the Board’s radar for long-range planning so we got to work exploring numerous sites and working with Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning to evaluate their potential,” said Scott Wieskamp, LPS director of Operations.
There will be two agreements up for first reading at Tuesday’s meeting, followed by a second reading and vote by the Board at its Dec. 10 meeting:
Ringneck, LLC: 118.6 acres for approximately $5.8 million that stretches from approximately Northwest 48th to Northwest 56th streets and West Holdrege to West Vine streets.
Ag Invest, LLC: 143.7 acres for approximately $3.6 million that sits east of 70th Street and north of Saltillo Road.
Standish adds, “This was an extensive and thorough process. The proposed high school sites are in areas of residential growth guided by the broader Lincoln and Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan.”
