School board moves to spend $90,000 on two acre property

During a special called-meeting held early last Friday morning, members of the Alleghany Board of Education voted to buy a two-acre tract of land adjoining Sparta Elementary School for $90,000.

This motion was made only a few weeks after learning of a cutback of $169,000 from state funds for the upcoming school year. This cut was made due to a drop in the number enrolled in Alleghany County schools. Superintendent Duane Davis made the recommendation to the school board members to purchase the land that the school had needed for several years.

"We need to purchase the land in order to meet critical needs of the school and we need it in order to plan for additional facilities," Davis stated.

The board voted unanimously to purchase the property, which is located on the north side of Sparta Elementary School and below the school bus garage. The tract is a little over two acres and has been in the Truitt family for over 50 years. The property was listed with Boyer Realty and Auction of Sparta and has been on the market for about six months. The tract contains a two-bedroom home and a two-story barn. The price of the property was listed as $124,900, but the Alleghany County Board of Education will be paying a purchase price of $90,000 for the property.

The home is currently occupied and the board agreed to give them 60 days to evacuate the residence. Board member Charles Joines stated that if they needed longer than 60 days, they could contact the board and they would work with them on giving additional time.

Chairman Bobby Irwin stated that the board had been hoping for the opportunity to purchase the land for years and the board had been discussing different options since the property came on the market. He also stated that the property will be well-used by the school system. Joines stated, "The property is needed for expansion, playground expansion and other things."

Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News!

Email: allnews@ls.net