The Wright City R-II School Board voted unanimously last week to push for a bond issue - Prop WCHS - that would fund the purchase of 85 acres of land south of Interstate 70 for future facilities expansion. The bond issue and purchase at this time enables the district to secure land while real estate prices and interest rates are low in a down economy, officials said. The land will be home for a new high school once the area is back on a solid growth path, they said. Without an estimated increase in the current debt service property tax levy, the board proposes borrowing $1.4 million for buying the land which is located south of I-70 and bordered by Highway F and Roelker Road. The property currently is farmland. Remodeling and improvements to existing facilities in the district also may be completed if some funds remain after the purchase and closing costs, said Austin Jones, board president. "While the time frame for developing the property for a new high school is considerably down the road, purchasing the land now at a significantly reduced price and favorable terms is a smart investment for our community," said Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines. He noted that the school's long-range facilities plan developed in 2006 includes building a new high school, along with other improvements completed under Prop KIDS (Keep Improving District Schools), the $3.5-million no-tax increase bond issue passed last April. "Our work now is to implement the long-term plan as needed," said Gaines. While current enrollment does not necessitate construction now, land prices in the current economy enabled the district to secure a contract price that is roughly two-thirds of what was quoted two years ago, he said. "This purchase puts us on a continual march to execute our broader plan," Gaines emphasized, noting that the time frame for building a new school on the land is difficult to estimate and will depend on assessed value growth and enrollment projections. In the short term, many of the existing facility improvement priorities as outlined in the long-range plan will be covered through regular operating funds versus bond dollars, officials said. However, Gaines says that coming out of a bond issue, there may be extra dollars that would enable the district to accelerate improvement projects on the priority list. Providing for the future of the school district is at the core of the decision to move forward with the land purchase now, according to officials. "With the purchase of the land already made and paid for at very advantageous costs, we will have eased the financial and planning burden for the future and for the day when the district knows it's time to build," said Jones.