Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools 'really close' to land sale agreement for new elementary

Prior Lake American

The Prior Lake-Savage Area School District is inching closer to a land sale agreement with Prior Lake Aggregates for a new elementary school.

“We are really close to getting this finished,” Business Services Executive Director Julie Cink said during a Finance, Facilities and Long Range Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon. “We’re right at the end here.”

Prior Lake Aggregates agreed in a non-binding letter approved by the school board in March 2015 to sell 20 acres to the district for a new elementary school, but that letter expired in December 2015 and a new letter was not drafted.

Operations and Transportation Director Jim Dellwo said Prior Lake Aggregates has “been good partners” with the district.

The company is mining $6 million worth of materials from the site before the district is able to take over the land. Though the district was originally planning to begin construction on the school this year and having it set to open in 2019, the estimated opening was pushed back to 2020.

“I think we’re all really anxious to have it done, but we are confident with where we are at and want to make sure it’s solid,” Cink said.

Communications Director Kristi Mussman said in December 2017 the company told the district it would honor the purchase price stated in the original letter of $60,000 per acre.

Some final points are being added to the agreement and it will undergo a final review by the district’s legal counsel. The agreement will then be brought before the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board for approval.