Want to Buy Roosevelt or Other Ames School Grounds

Roosevelt Elementary School is one of a handful of land parcels that might sell and though no decision has been made on its fate yet, a decision should be coming soon.

Board President Dan Woodin said people should prepare their offers.

The board has voted to sell the Somerset property on George Washington Carver Avenue and the former middle school property on State Street, but other parcels such as and Willson-Beardshear are on hold until a decision is made on where the administrative offices, head start, and facilities and planning and management offices should be. Woodin said the board will probably discuss those topics more at its next meeting Monday.

As for Roosevelt, as in all discussions on the school's unused land, the board will decide:

“Do we need the property?” Woodin said. “And if we don't we will sell it and find a use based on community input and the bids we get and make the best decision for all.”

Woodin said they will take all bids from a $1 on up and the board doesn't have to accept the highest bid.

The board has a to demolish Roosevelt and use half an acre of the property for a park and sell the rest, but the board hasn't acted on that recommendation.

The board held a closed session at a meeting Monday to discuss property the district was planning to buy or sell, but the identity of the property was not disclosed.

At the start of the meeting some residents suggested what else could be done with Roosevelt. The cost of demolishing the structure is expected to outweigh its sale price.

James Pritchard said he knew of a group called Community Iowa Housing Incorporated that repurposes old school buildings.

“You might end up with a great design outcome and considering this option would not delay you unduly in any way,” Pritchard said.

Kris Jensen said the Roosevelt site is the center of the neighborhood.

“This is how we connect in the summer. This is how we network with other parents … People come all the way from west Ames and Nevada to play at that park. Do what you want with property but leave something that will still bring people together there because it will affect the quality of the town,” she said.

Woodin said if the district puts Roosevelt up for sale, that he would expect the to make a small bid for the land and turn the area into a park.

Roosevelt was last used as a school in June 2005. When the district builds a new school at Miller Avenue it will have another empty building at . The old middle school also sits empty in a state of decay.

Tearing down the old buildings seemed like the civic thing to do, Woodin said. Selling unused property would help cover the cost of tearing down the old , and elementary schools--- all schools scheduled to be replaced with the passage of the April bond issue.

Residents around the Edwards school have said they would also like a park on the Edwards parcel because they take their children to the playground there and Woodin said that would be given high consideration, but they would expect the city to take maintenance of any park areas.

“We are taking comments and we are listening and discussions will be in the public,” Woodin said.