School board votes to approve agreement
The new Roosevelt Middle School set to open in 2016 could have a YMCA recreational facility next door, if the Eugene School Board approves a tentative agreement on the sale of the property.
Eugene School District 4J and the Eugene Family YMCA have reached a tentative agreement, subject to approval by the school board, for the Y to have an option to purchase a portion of the Roosevelt Middle School property for $2.85 million, consistent with the recently appraised value.
“We value our district’s longstanding partnership with the Y, and we look forward to deepening that relationship as close and mutually beneficial neighbors, if the board approves a purchase agreement,” said 4J Superintendent Sheldon Berman. “The Roosevelt site offers a win-win opportunity for 4J to provide an ideal site for the Y’s relocation, and for the Y to provide ongoing benefits to our students and our community for many years to come.”
“After more than a decade of efforts, the Eugene Family YMCA is excited to be at the doorstep of securing a piece of land for a new Y facility in the south Eugene area. We look forward to the opportunity to provide our diverse community with a new home to build healthy spirits, minds and bodies,” said Y Executive Director Dave Perez. “The Y views this tentative agreement as much more than a land sale. It is an extension of a long partnership between the Y and Eugene School District 4J to cooperatively invest in the future of our community’s children.”
The property under discussion is a portion of the Roosevelt Middle School property, about 5.22 acres of land near the intersection of 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street, including the area where the school now stands. Roosevelt’s aging building is about to be replaced, using voter-approved bond funds. The new school will be built just to the west of the old school. Once students move into the new school in 2016, the old building will be demolished and the eastern portion of the property could be sold to the Y to construct new recreation facilities. Roosevelt’s athletic field and parking lot would be located between the new school and the Y.
The terms of the tentative agreement include a deed restriction that would restrict future use of the property to uses compatible with the district’s educational mission and the middle school next door. The district would retain a first right of refusal to buy the property back from the Y if it were sold at any future date.
The board is expected to vote on approval of the agreement at its meeting on Wednesday, December 17. The board meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the 4J Education Center Auditorium, 200 N. Monroe St., Eugene. It also will be broadcast live on KRVM 1280-AM. There is a period for public comment at the beginning of each board meeting. Comments also can be sent by email to board@4j.lane.edu.
Update Dec. 17, 2014:
The Eugene School Board voted unanimously to approve the agreement.
Learn more:
• Detailed news release
• Op-ed: “School–YMCA partnership will be good for kids”
• Board meeting information
• Roosevelt rebuild project website
