MOKANE, Mo. -- South Callaway Superintendent Kevin Hillman said he's not yet certain how the district is going to use a 65-acre piece of land purchased in January.
The district bought the 65 acres for $224,975.50 from its capitol improvement fund, Hillman said. This increased the size of South Callaway's campus from 73.78 acres to 138.8 acres, according to records obtained from the Callaway County Assessor's Office.
The land is north of South Callaway's present campus; its previous property line was close to the northern baseball field and a road that extends behind the Early Childhood Learning Center to the field.
"We're talking literally three to four feet," Hillman said.
Hillman said the district tried to buy a smaller piece of land, but the seller would not portion it off. Historically, he added, South Callaway has attempted to buy the land and it is typical for districts to purchase bordering property.
South Callaway Board of Education member Brent Woods said the board decided to purchase the property because it allowed the district to own neighboring land in case of future expansion. He added that if the district didn't buy the land, it would have "no control (over) who moves in."
"One of the biggest concerns was not being able to control what went in there," Woods said.
Hillman also said he's been approached by people interested in purchasing the land, but has made no decision about if the land will be sold or how much will be sold.
The school board approved the purchase at its Jan. 8 meeting.
During the board's most recent meeting on March 12, it approved five facility improvement projects for the summer.
Those projects include upgrades to safety, information technology and a school phone system as well as conclusion of a three-year concrete and asphalt plan and new bleachers at the football field.
Hillman said the large and small high school parking lots should be completed in addition to any repairs necessary. He also told the board that the current home-side bleachers sit about 18-20 inches below the football field, making it difficult for fans in the front row to see over players. New bleachers would be raised to about 3½ feet above the football field.