City and school officials are a step closer to inking a deal
on Person Field.
The two sides met Thursday evening to discuss the sale of the
district’s half of the field. The city, which owns the other half, wants to
acquire the property in an effort to keep the field public green space.
Both
sides, however, have been unable to agree on terms of a sale. But Thursday, in
just under two hours, city and school officials worked together to reach an
agreement. The city will buy the district’s half of Person Field and acquire
Bryan Field as part of the package.
What hasn’t been determined is the price
tag. City Council passed a motion to allocate $655,000 to purchase both Person
and Bryan from the district. The city has argued that the true value of Person
is about half that and the district should make up the gap in value.
The School
Board also passed a motion packaging the two properties but with a price tag of
$750,000. The district will get an appraisal of Bryan Field and the two sides
will negotiate from there. It could take three weeks for the appraisal,
officials said.
