MIDDLEBURG — A Midd-West school board member is fighting a recent vote by her colleagues to submit a written offer to buy land.
“There has been now some added acreage to the scene, and I don’t feel that the district should be looking at spending the amount of money they are,” said Sherryl Wagner, of McClure, who voted against the motion on Monday night, along with members Larry Moyer and Ronald Hoffman. Member Ross Snook was absent.
A $35 million building and renovation project is under way, and the work has obliterated the former baseball and softball fields, Wagner said.
To replace the lost fields, the board has moved forward to buy land.
But the amount of land for which the board is making an offer is more than the district needs, Wagner said. And she wants to let the public know. Details were discussed only in executive session on Monday. Only the vote took place at the open meeting. The location of the land in question, who owns it and how much it might cost have not been released.
Board solicitor Orris Knepp III said there are few things that school boards can discuss in executive session. “Land acquisition and land negotiations are one of those subjects,” he said.
Once an agreement is reached for the purchase, then it would be brought out and approved at a public meeting, he added. From there, it would proceed to the submission of documents, surveys and appraisals to the state Department of Education.
He said, “We are very early in the stages in regard to land acquisition.”
Options for meeting land needs were discussed by board members, Wagner said. One option was to have students use the ball fields at West Snyder. But several of the board members said they did not want to bus students there, she said.
Wagner announced publicly on Monday her desire to see the board vote to add a referendum to the ballot, so taxpayers can vote on whether or not to raise taxes.
The construction already is raising taxes higher than the normal index, she said. To add on the purchase of two parcels of property is more than what taxpayers should have to handle.
“Right now, where we are in the economy, the job losses that are happening and where we are in Snyder County, I believe the board really needs to take a look at the spending of money,” Wagner said.
The next public board meeting will be Monday night in the Middleburg Middle School.
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