A joint venture between the city and the school district will save both entities money and is the best use of the taxpayers' money, Mayor Jackie Crabtree and school superintendent Rick Neal said Monday.
Members of both the City Council and School Board met Monday in a Committee of the Whole study session with attorneys for both entities -- Marshall Ney, school attorney, and Howard Slinkard, city attorney. Steve Elliot, architect, was also present as were school administrators and city officials and department heads.
"This is pretty exciting," Slinkard said. "I'm not aware of anything like it. It fits a pretty neat pattern ... exactly half owned by the city and half owned by the school district with a common area used by each...."
"What occurred to me first was horizontal property regime, like a condominium project," Slinkard continued.
A central common area would serve as a council room, meeting room, court room and would be shared by both entities. Office space is on either end of the building with separate entrances -- school offices on the north side and city offices on the south side.
Slinkard said the master deed and bylaws are not complex and will protect both entities regardless of who is in office.
Ney said he also represents Bentonville School District and has had similar joint projects for the city and school as with a tennis court and an aquatic center.
"I think it's a great idea of how governmental entities can cooperate and save the taxpayers money," Ney said.
A holding area previously planned for the court area has been deleted according to the mayor and Police Chief Ryan Walker with video court being planned for prisoners. "This is a misdemeanor court," the mayor said.
"We've done a floor plan and gotten input from everybody at the city and the school," Elliot said. He said there would be separate utility meters just like with a condominium. "
"The jointness is just the building, where it sits, the parking," Jenny Wood, School Board president, said.
Neal said architectural fees are being split and he explained options for splitting the financing of the land, currently owned by the school.
"The city has already paid half the current bill to the architect," Sandy Button, city clerk and School Board member, said.
"We're not building a building just for ourselves; we're thinking of taxpayers -- what's best for our residents," Wood said.
"This is a professional building, it's not something centered around children," Neal said. "This is a place where professional meetings will take place."
Neal also explained that the space currently used by school administration will be used by the high school for more classrooms once the new building is constructed.
General News on 08/19/2015