By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board approved the sale of land north of Felten Elementary School Monday night to PWC of Hays.
PWC submitted a bid of $300,000 for the 7.2 acres of land with plans to build 30 single-family homes.
PWC previously said it would give educators first choice of the homes.
PWC said it hopes to have buildable sites ready by summer 2027 with a five-year build-out.
It plans to apply for a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District (RHID) to help recover its initial investment.
The school district received three bids in the second round of bidding on the property.
SEE RELATED STORY: Hays USD 489 board receives, new higher bids on Felten property
SEE RELATED STORY: Hays USD 489 board sees plans on potential housing development
Land Inspired bid $238,000 with plans to build 38 single-family homes. A&S Unsworth LLC submitted a bid of $410,000 with plans to construct an elder care home on the property.
Board member Ruth Ruder said the new homes will not only bring additional revenue to the school district through property taxes but could also bring new students into the district as families move into the new homes.
PWC estimated the project, once fully built out, will add more than $9 million to the property tax rolls.
Board member Allen Park said he thought the process was rushed. However, the board has been discussing the sale for months.
Park said he also was concerned because the initial appraisal of the land was considerably higher—$600,000. The appraiser said that appraisal was based on the property's maximum density use, not single-family homes.
Park said he was pleased the board was considering selling to a local company.
However, he said he favored retaining the property.
“Right now this is the last piece of property we have,” he said.
Ruder said she has heard from neighbors in the area, and they said they favor affordable, clean housing on that property.
Board President Curt Vajnar said he supported the sale of the land to A&S Unsworth LLC because they were the highest bidder.
He noted that once the board sells the property, it has no control over what is done with the property despite what the bidders have proposed.
The funds from the sale of the property will go into the district’s capital outlay fund. The funds have not been dedicated to any specific use.
The board approved the sale of the property on a vote of 4-2, with Park and Vajnar voting against.
Board member Derek Yarmer was absent.
In other business, the board:
• Approved $114,025 for renovations of the Hays Middle School track at the new 13th Street location. This should extend the life of the track for another seven to eight years.
• Approved up to $75,517 for the installation of a new Hays High baseball scoreboard.
• Had a first reading on board of education policies and benefits revisions