Some area residents have raised concerns that Jacksonville School District 117 paid too much for an 8-acre plot of land that will be the eventual site of the new Murrayville-Woodson Elementary School.
The site near the intersection of the Woodson-Winchester Road and Water Tower Road sits less than a quarter of a mile from Illinois-267 and was purchased from Mark Pennell at $40,000 per acre at the end of March.
District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek says the purchase was at a premium because the land wasn’t really for sale. He likened it to going up to someone’s home who wasn’t for sale and asking to buy their house, which he says would happen at a premium. He says the rate that was paid for the property was actually near a commercial development property rate, compared to what Dollar General paid for their current site in Woodson. He said the premium was worth it because the school was placed at the site that is best for the district and the area.
As for getting the school built, Ptacek says that site soil sampling and testing is currently taking place. He says more developments with the design and other state regulations will be given in the next few months.