The Pleasant Valley School District wants to buy land to swap with the City of Bettendorf for a future elementary school along Forest Grove Road.
The school board Monday (7/18) approved a contract to buy 19 acres of land for $583,000 contingent on swapping that property for 15 acres of land the city recently purchased as part of a new 92-acre park north of Forest Grove Road and east of Middle Road (just south of Interstate 80).
The city paid $2.92 million for the 92 acres in early 2010 and concept planning for the new park was begun recently. RDG Architects of Des Moines was awarded the contract to develop an overall plan for the park property.
School and city officials have been meeting in recent weeks to work out the deal and are expected to bring it before the city council within the next month for approval.
The land sought by the school district has better access off Forest Grove and would be easier to develop for a school than the 19 acres it is planning to acquire.
The school district is planning to open the new Hopewell Elementary school this fall, but school officials believe future population growth over the next 20 years will require another elementary school in the area.
The site sought by the school district is less than two miles from the new Hopewell school.
