UPDATED: Ankeny City Council Agrees to School District Proposal to Exchange Land for Infrastructure

The Ankeny City Council has voted in favor of an agreement with the Ankeny School District that exchanges land for infrastructure to aid the district in building its tenth elementary school.

*At a special meeting last night, the city council agreed to a proposal from the school district in which the district agreed to convey 70 acres of land located along 36^th Street west of State Street to the City in exchange for approximately $2.2 million of road and utility improvements needed in the construction of the district's next elementary school.

According to a press release issued by the city of Ankeny, the land is currently appraised at approximately $1.54 million and is adjacent to where the new elementary school is proposed to be built.

“This agreement is another example of how collaborating to leverage public resources expands opportunities for our citizens,” said Ankeny Mayor Steve Van Oort in the release. “The public expects us to work together to maximize public resources and that’s what this agreement represents.”

The estimated cost of infrastructure the city will receive in return is $2.7 million with approximately $500,000 abated through special assessments and water and sewer connection fees, the release said. The city has already factored the project into its Capital Improvements Program for calendar year 2014.

Council member Mark Holm said the agreement is represents a mutually beneficial outcome for the city, the school district and the community.

“As elected leaders it is important we pursue opportunities to partner with others to the benefit of our community,” Holm said.

The Ankeny school board is expected to consider the agreement at its Oct. 15 meeting.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is a corrected version of one published on Oct. 9, 2012, in which the roles of the city and school district were reversed. The original article stated the city conveyed the land to the school district, which is incorrect. The correct information is noted above in the article. Our sincere apologies for the error.

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