Ball field sale nixed; not in best interest of school

The potential sale of the softball and baseball fields at Blackjack corner has been terminated.

"We are going to terminate the contract," said Rick Neal, Pea Ridge school superintendent. The termination comes after school officials started negotiations with the potential buyer.

A few weeks ago, Greg Baxendale, director of operations of Arkansas Express, made an offer on the property and offered to lease it back to the school district for baseball and softball games. Baxendale has not responded to requests from The TIMES for information.

Neal said that some of the contingencies in the lease were not in the best interest of the school district. He and School Board members had considered the sale to gain money for future building and to provide student athletes with a good facility.

"After seeing the four pages of the lease and the list of inventory of the concession stands and on the property, we determined it was not a fair offer," Neal said. "We would have to lease the property back for an astronomical amount of money."

"We still have to be on the lookout for property for potential growth," he said.