ThisWeek CW 06/02/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/29/district-sells-35-acres-to-columbus-for-parkland.html

The Groveport Madison school district will sell 35 acres to the city of Columbus for parkland near the Blacklick Estates neighborhood.

The deal was unanimously approved by the school board last month. District officials said the sale price is $169,300.

According to records at the Franklin County Auditor’s office, the property was donated to the district in 1974 by Herbert and Anita Bowman.

The land sits just south of Refugee Road and north of Eastland Christian Church; the tract is bounded by Noe Bixby Road on the east and the Big Walnut Creek on the west.

It sits between two established parks — Helsel Park and Nafzger Park.

“This is the parcel we own off Noe Bixby Road up northwest of Sedalia Drive, which is big at about 35 acres, but almost all of it sits in the flood plain, so only about 8 acres is developable,” Superintendent Bruce Hoover said.

“The city of Columbus wants it for an addition to the Metro Parks system and we do not have a use for it.”

According to Hoover, Columbus will grant the Metro Parks an easement to construct a multi-use path and complete other improvements on the land to help link the other area parks and neighborhoods.

He said money from the sale will be used for permanent improvements in the district.

“The notion is that any sale has to go back into permanent improvement fund, like maintenance of buildings and fields and such,” Hoover said.

In response to a question from board member Libby Gray, he said the money could be used to repair roofs on district buildings.