Members of the Columbia City Council are turning up the heat on Columbia Public Schools leaders for deciding to build a new high school in a rural area east of town without first consulting with city planners.

Chase

During a pre-council meeting last night, Second Ward Councilman Jerry Wade told schools Superintendent Phyllis Chase and board of education President Karla DeSpain he was "befuddled" by the site selection process.

"We’re getting information on this after what appears to be a decision already made," Wade said.

Chase and DeSpain had shown up to talk with the council about plans to build the district’s third traditional high school on 80 acres at New Haven and Rangeline roads partially donated by Boone County farmer Turner Vemer.

Wade and others have said the site is problematic because it will be expensive to extend city services such as sanitary sewer to the site.

Source: Columbia Public Schools

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"I don’t know where we’re going to have money within the next five years," he said last night.

Chase responded that almost 1,500 people attended public meetings on the school plan and about 100 have served on committees. "There has been no concerted effort to keep this a secret," she said.

The district held community forums last fall, but the forums did not seek input on where a high school should be located.

Chase also told council members last night it would have been irresponsible to discuss infrastructure needs with the city before April 3, when voters approved a $60 million bond issue to pay for the first phase of the school, slated to open in 2010.

School board members first publicly acknowledged plans for the Vemer site only a day before the board voted on June 21 to build a high school there. Last night’s meeting was the first time school district officials had discussed the site with city officials.

Third Ward Councilman Karl Skala said it was important for the public to buy into the proposal. "Even handing out a map with boundaries of district schools would have gone a long way," he said.

As the 20-minute meeting ended, Chase said, "Point well taken."

Chase and school board members repeatedly said they had no specific plans for the Vemer land when the district acquired it in January, but Vemer said yesterday there was no question in his mind: He donated it for a new high school.

"That’s what Dr. Chase and the lawyer told me it was going to be used for," Vemer said when reached by phone in New Mexico yesterday.

This morning, Chase acknowledged she told Vemer in December the property would be used for a high school - six months before the school board voted on it.

"We anticipated a high school everywhere we were looking for land. We shared that anticipation with Mr. Vemer," she told the Tribune this morning.

Former Assistant Superintendent Chris Mallory, who first contacted Vemer about his land, said he’s spent the past year as a consultant for the district talking to developers, real estate agents and property owners about available sites. He said he mostly has looked east, not north, because district officials want the new high school to draw from both Hickman and Rock Bridge territories. "The district’s been looking to the east for the past 15 to 20 years," he said.

Mallory would not disclose the names of property owners he contacted, and Assistant Superintendent Lynn Barnett said the district’s attorney, David Walker, advised administrators not to release the names because it could jeopardize possible land negotiations in the future.

Rob Wolverton, who owns land at various locations around Columbia, said today he is negotiating a land deal with Mallory. Wolverton declined to discuss specific locations and said discussions have not involved land for a specific type of school.

Meanwhile, Columbia businessman George Godas said last week that his 2-year-old offer to donate part of his 212 acres east of Route Z, north of Interstate 70, still stands.

Chase told council members last night the Vemer land could be sold to fund the purchase of another, more appropriate site if one becomes available. "We are looking at very few places where we can get the land at any price and extremely few at a reasonable price," DeSpain said. "We cannot find a perfect site."

If the district were to sell the 80 acres, appraised at $1.4 million, Vemer said he would like a portion of the proceeds.

"I would feel kind of bad about the 40 acres I gave them if they were to sell it at a bigger price than the $500,000," he said. "It might sell for a lot more money, and that would disappoint me. If they sold it for any bigger amount of money, I just feel like I would be entitled to half of the money or something. Of course, there’s nothing that says I would get half. It belongs to Columbia Public Schools now."

Vemer still owns 370 acres around the high school site, which will be deeded to his four children upon his death. Although property values in the area will likely increase if a school were to open, Vemer said his family is not looking to get rich off the deal.

"People think I pocketed some money. I didn’t pocket a penny," Vemer said. "I guarantee all four children will leave it green. If houses are built on the other 370 acres, it will be their houses."

One of Vemer’s children, Leslie Trogdon, works for Columbia Public Schools as director of school improvement and said this morning her family has no intention of selling the property.

"It’s been in our family for four generations," she said. "I have three siblings, and we were all supportive of his decision. And we agreed it stays in the family."

Reach T.J. Greaney at (573) 815-1719 or tjgreaney@tribmail.com.

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