LEXINGTON, S.C. — Lexington School District One is moving forward with plans to relocate Lexington Middle School.
At its March 19, 2019 board meeting, trustees accepted the administration’s recommendation to enter into option agreements related to land providing access on Old Cherokee Road and Cherokee Trail for the purpose of relocating Lexington Middle School.
Officials say the district will enter into two separate option agreements to begin the land acquisition process for a new Lexington Middle School site. Each option agreement includes two parcels of land. The district says it intends to acquire all four parcels of land. In fact, the purchases are contingent upon all four parcels closing at the same time.
The first option agreement includes two parcels of land. The first parcel, Lexington County TMS # 004300-04-016, contains approximately 23.57 acres. The second parcel, Lexington County TMS # 004300-04-075, contains approximately 10 acres.
The second option agreement includes two parcels of land. The third parcel, Lexington County TMS # 004300-04-048, contains approximately 27.9 acres. The fourth parcel is a portion of Lexington County TMS # 004300-04-55 and contains approximately 0.47 acres.
The decision to enter into these two option agreements begins the district’s due diligence process, as officials point out the purchase of property for a school site is a very specialized and intricate process.
For instance, due diligence includes many South Carolina Department of Education, South Carolina Department of Transportation and Lexington County guidelines that impact the purchase of land for a school site.
Officials say the first thing district administrators do when looking at a piece of land is to determine the location of the land, asking if location of the property meets the district’s current and future needs for property in that area?
Then, the South Carolina Department of Transportation will conduct a traffic study that examines the available road frontage, the depth of the property and the ability to provide necessary traffic circulation on site for the stacking of automobiles during peak student drop-off and pick-up times.
Approved by voters as part of the district’s Nov. 6, 2018 $365 million five-year building plan (2018–2023), administrators say the relocation of Lexington Middle School ensures that the district can continue to offer its students the facilities they need now and in the future.
