The Elkhorn Public School Board of Education held a special meeting Monday morning to move forward with acquiring land for a third high school. The District had considered about eight properties and decided on land near 180th and West Maple Road was the ideal location.
Superintendent Steve Baker says, “I’ve had several meetings with the landowner and we have not reached an agreement on a price so the next step is beginning the eminent domain process. I am still very hopeful, very optimistic we can avoid this going all the way through the legal process.”
Baker says there is now a 30 day period where no action will be taken. This will give the landowner time to get appraisals or to secure an attorney. At the end of the 30 days Baker says they will again contact the landowner and try to come to an agreement. He says, “This is never the route we want to take. Eventually the school district will get the land but we want to be fair to everybody. That is the way the process is supposed to work.”
Baker says their student body continues to grow and it is absolutely necessary that the district build a third high school. He says this year they added 570-plus students and adding over 1,000 students every two years. Elkhorn South High School opened in 2010 and they are quickly filling to capacity.
Voters would still have to approve a bond issue for the construction of the new building.