The Manatee County School Board on Monday approved an agreement to purchase 47.69 acres of land in Parrish for a new middle school after the county renegotiated a price below the appraised value.
The school district will pay $45,000 an acre for a total price of roughly $2.1 million. The price is over $650,000 less than the price presented to the board at its last meeting. At that meeting, the board tabled the item, with members expressing concern that the price was too high.
On Monday, Superintendent Roger Dearing recommended the approval of the purchase, saying the price had dropped $13,000 per acre from the appraisal value. The measure then passed the board with a 5-0 vote.
Board member Frank Brunner said that district staff, who were instructed to renegotiate the price with Riggs National Property Co., should be commended for their work.
(c) 2005 Associated Press
