School board tables vote on land deal

Homeowner: "This isn't the worst outcome"

Randy Halsey speaks during a Jefferson City school board meeting Monday as neighborhood residents voiced opposition to a land purchase by the school district.
Randy Halsey speaks during a Jefferson City school board meeting Monday as neighborhood residents voiced opposition to a land purchase by the school district.

Think about this as if it's your own backyard, requested homeowners surrounding the tract of land Jefferson City Public Schools is considering purchasing.

The school board met Monday with plans to vote on purchasing nine lots on Marshall Street and Roland Street for $206,500. A handful of the residents surrounding that area voiced their dissent at the meeting, and Superintendent Larry Linthacum recommended the board table the vote for a little more than 30 days to vet the purchase further.

Board member Rich AuBuchon said he felt it "prudent" to talk to other residents. But he also said he felt comfortable voting to purchase the property on Monday.

Board member Ken Theorff said he felt it necessary to table the vote and wants to study the matter further.

With a 5-2 vote, the board decided to hold off on voting until Nov. 14. The contract, pending board approval, was extended until Nov. 15 for the same purchase price. The original contract was supposed to expire today. Linthacum said expects to get an updated contract.

Board members Pam Murray and Michael Couty were the dissenting votes, both saying they did not feel the property was of value to the district because the majority of it is on a hill. They didn't feel the need to table it.

Murray was also at the meeting Monday morning with Linthacum and roughly 20 residents questioning why the district wanted this land. The residents urged the district not to buy it.

Many were upset the district didn't come to them sooner. The contract has been in place for several weeks, but they wanted to know why didn't they have a chance to defend their side until now. Given more notice, they said they would have organized sooner and called board members individually to try and sway their votes.

They already have rowdy students walking through their properties, dumping trash and speeding through the streets, and the homeowners said if the district expands further into their neighborhood, the conditions will get worse.

Lifelong Roland Street resident Ashley Kaufman gathered 107 signatures against the purchase from people throughout Jefferson City. She told the board the process they went through has not demonstrated good partnership with the community.

She told the board she was against tabling the issue, noting residents are against the issue and will not change their minds on the matter.

Patsy Johnson's house on Lafayette and Roland streets has been her serenity for 32 years. She said her quiet neighborhood is feeling more encroached upon with the potential purchase. To the right of her house is the steep, grassy knoll being considered for purchase.

"We're a close-knit (community)," Johnson told the News Tribune. "We look after each other. It's quiet. It's a nice neighborhood. We exchange food when there are deaths. You don't find that everywhere, and I love it.

"I have a problem with being pushed around," she said. "Especially in a predominantly black neighborhood. This area means a lot. It's historical. It feels like an assault on this neighborhood. I pay taxes. There are a lot of things that happen to this residential area that don't happen in others."

She's among those who have dealt with trash being discarded on her property. The street is quiet aside from after the high school lets out at the end of the day, and she worries the traffic will swell.

Charity Hall owns a house on Roland Street and lives there with her fiance and 17-year-old son. Her backyard backs up some of the lots and said they'll sell their house if the district moves forward with the purchase.

"This isn't the worst outcome," Hall told the News Tribune, of the vote being tabled.

Moving forward, she said she plans to do more research on ways to save the land in their neighborhood. She'd also like to know what the land will be used for. The district has yet to commit to a use.

That land is currently zoned for residential use, and the district would have to request a zoning change to build anything other than residential buildings, she said.

If it is rezoned, Hall fears it will lower their property values - a concern several of the residents have.

She is a 1992 graduate of Jefferson City High School and is well aware of the overcrowding at the school. But she disagreed that purchasing this land is appropriate for their long-term plan. If it is made into a parking lot, she doubted it would make a big impact on alleviating space issues.

"The high school hasn't been suited for the population for nearly 30 years," she said. "They need to do something with the property they have before buying more."

Linthacum said it's rare land conjoining the high school comes up for sale, so when it does, the board has to at least explore the issue. The properties are across the street from a parking lot at the high school.

The most likely option for the land is to house an alternative setting for students with behavior issues. Improving student behavior is one of the district's top priorities this year.

Another option could be to use the space for the district's adult education program. The district currently rents space on Dunklin Street for $1,000 a month. A one-story ranch-style house with a basement sits on Marshall Street, and it could be used for options one and two for the time being, Linthacum said.

District officials also discussed making the lots additional parking for the high school. That option is the least likely, Linthacum said, but the current parking lot is overcrowded.

Linthacum said the district was approached by real estate agent Alan Mudd - a former JCPS board member - about a year ago to purchase the lots. At that time, Linthacum said the price was too high and they weren't ready to buy land.

A few months ago, they were approached again. In August, the board voted 5-2 to allow Linthacum to negotiate an agreement. Murray voted against the measure because the district didn't have a defined use for the space. Couty abstained for the same reason.

Linthacum publicly announced the potential purchase during the board's Sept. 19 meeting.

Several at the meeting said they understand the district has space needs, and they don't fault the property owners for wanting to sell their land. Homeowners said they also understand that they're neighbors to the school, so they expect some disruptions, but they don't want it worsen - they want to preserve their neighborhood.

Previous coverage:

Property purchase weighed by committee, Sept. 28, 2016

JCPS eyes property by high school, Sept. 20, 2016