Land deal for school is matter for voters

A referendum this fall will let voters decide whether the School Board can enter an agreement to acquire land for an alternative school.

By MONIQUE FIELDS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 20, 2002

LARGO -- Pinellas voters will decide this fall whether the school district can lease and eventually purchase land for a new $15-million alternative high school.

In a 5-2 decision, school board members Tuesday decided to place a referendum on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. It's the first time voters will be asked to approve a lease-purchase agreement for a Pinellas school.

School Board attorney John Bowen will work with the Supervisor of Elections to develop the language of the referendum.

Appraisals have been ordered for the 12-acre property, and county officials estimate it could cost the School Board as much as $4-million.

Board members Jane Gallucci and Tom Todd opposed the idea. Both said they want the project to move forward. Todd questioned why the School Board would subject the school to voter approval."I'm just not going to wait for a referendum to wait again," Todd said.

But Florida law requires voters to approve a school district's lease-purchase agreement if property taxes are used and the term of the agreement exceeds 12 months.

The Federal Aviation Authority also must approve the deal because the agency deeded the land to the county in the late 1940s and stipulated that it only be used for airport purposes or to generate funds for airport operations and maintenance, said Sarah Richardson, senior assistant county attorney.

Pending the agency's approval and a nod from voters, a contract could be ready for approval at the December board meeting, school superintendent Howard Hinesley said.

Still, another problem surfaced this week. The property is off 49th Street near 144th and 145th avenues N in unincorporated Pinellas County. But road improvements have been planned in the area and a four-lane road may push the project farther north and cause further delays.

The School Board has been trying to build Bayside High School for more than three years. But the plans created tension after High Point residents learned school officials were considering a site off 150th Avenue N west of 58th Street.

Residents were worried about having up to 500 at-risk students going to school in their neighborhood. Many of the students -- some of them sex offenders, substance abusers, and violent criminals -- would be returning to school after serving time in the juvenile justice system.

The school would offer traditional high school classes, as well as vocational training at neighboring Pinellas Technical Education Center, to students who failed to succeed at other schools.

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