September 13, 2024 - The Bexley Board of Education approved a resolution Wednesday night authorizing the Superintendent and Treasurer to enter into a purchase agreement for $6.03 million to acquire more than 28 acres of land north of Bexley on Cassady Avenue to develop an outdoor campus for potential outdoor learning and multiple field sports. The property is located at 935 N. Cassady Ave., the former Lutheran Senior Services site.
The purchase agreement allows the schools a 75-day due diligence period to conduct further site inspections and review all of the reports and studies on the site in detail. This period will also permit the school district to hear from the community regarding the proposed purchase. The schools can also proceed with licenses and permits that would be required to develop the land and negotiate modifications of two easement rights, which are hoped to be relocated as a condition of closing on the property. Additionally, the agreement allows the district to negate the agreement for any reason before the due diligence period ends.
“We have been searching for years for solutions to our lack of land to properly support Bexley students’ well-being and educational journey when it includes athletics,” said Dr. Harley Williams, Director of Facilities and Operations. “Our Strategic Plan charges us with exploring alternative facilities and buildings through partnerships, grants, leases, and purchasing opportunities. We have worked hard to develop local partnerships and lease agreements, talked with local leaders and developers, and considered the possibility of every land option presented to us, including land owned by Capital University.”
The schools have long partnered with the Jewish Community Center and appreciate its leaders’ willingness to help the district find land solutions in the past. “In the event we close on this purchase, we will rely on our established partnerships to host some of our athletic teams until this land is developed and fully intend to continue our collaboration into the future,” Dr. Williams said. The school district has also considered long-term leases for practice or event fields with the Jewish Community Center, Capital University, and St. Catharine’s Church, as well as with Columbus Parks and Recreation for land in the Clowson Field area.
“In the end,” Dr. Williams said, “we believe acquiring the Cassady Avenue land would be the best long-term investment for Bexley Schools, allowing the district to own the property that is developed.”
“The conversation of acquiring new land for Bexley Schools’ use has been ongoing for decades,” said Dr. Jason Fine, Superintendent. “This land purchase – of nearly 30 acres – is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, which is why we’ve worked so diligently to negotiate in confidence to agree on terms of the sale that are beneficial for Bexley Schools. We cannot be more excited about the possibilities this land would open for us, but we take the task of completing our due diligence very seriously and will ensure this purchase is right for our schools.”
No final decisions have been made regarding what the new outdoor campus may include, though it is expected that some sports venues would be moved to the new site. Under consideration are fields for baseball and softball, tennis courts, a regulation-sized track, and a practice field that could accommodate our multiple-field sports, as well as practice space for the marching band. The complex also would be considered for outdoor classrooms and other educational opportunities. One decision that has been made is to keep the football stadium at its current Cassingham location.
“We are highly aware of the hardships of all of our outdoor athletic teams as they vie for practice time on our fields and other venues,” Dr. Fine said. “Developing extra practice and event locations would hopefully end the time when our student-athletes get home late in the evening after practices. In addition, moving one or more athletic venues off the Cassingham Complex would open up land to expand current educationally focused buildings.”
The Cassady Avenue site currently includes a large building with about 260 rooms and offices that were used for Lutheran Senior Services. No decisions have been made regarding the potential use of this building, but its availability could support immediate non-academic facilities needs, like offices, transportation, and storage.
During an upcoming meeting, the Board will entertain funding resolutions that would be necessary to be able to complete the purchase. The school district has half of the cash required to purchase the land through savings of proceeds of the 2016 Permanent Improvement (PI) levy, and expects that it will be able to obtain the other half by an issuance of a tax anticipation note (TAN) using those same future revenues of PI. Site improvement funding to develop the complex has not been identified at this time but may include private donations or could be incorporated into the District Facility Plan in 2025.
“We have been saving some PI money with the anticipation this cash would be used for an opportunity to acquire or improve,” said Treasurer Kyle Smith. “Had we not been saving this money, this opportunity would have been difficult to complete before completing a District Facility Plan. The community should be proud of voters’ foresight in approving that 2016 PI levy.” Mr. Smith stresses that the funding sources for this land purchase are separate from Issue 36, the levy request voters will consider in the November election, which is for day-to-day operational expenditures.
A presentation about the purchase agreement and the amenities under consideration for the new outdoor complex will be made during the October 9th regular meeting of the Bexley Board of Education. The presentation will also include consideration of security for the complex, grounds maintenance, transportation of students for practices and other events, and how we might utilize the building currently on the property.
Anyone wishing to share input on this opportunity can do so via the community feedback form for Facilities Planning, which is always available in the top banner of Bexley Schools’ website.