Camillus, N.Y. - A school district buying a golf course isn’t exactly par for the course.
West Genesee School Superintendent David Bills is aware of that, but he firmly believes the $4 million purchase is the right solution for a space-challenged school system.
On Monday, school district residents will go to the polls to decide whether to buy the 117-acre former Westvale Golf Course. It’s adjacent to West Genesee High School, and along with an 18-hole course, it has a clubhouse restaurant and parking lot.
Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday in the West Genesee High School auditorium lobby.
Monday’s vote will not determine how the district would use the property. Those decisions would come in a future vote, Bills said.
The $4 million purchase would cost taxpayers $1.38 per home assessed at $100,000, the district says. To drum up support for the unusual purchase, the district has been offering and soliciting ideas in a series of public sessions.
So for now, the $4-million-dollar question remains: What will it be used for?
“It’s a tough question to answer,” Bills said. “It feels like putting the cart before the horse.”
But Bills acknowledged it makes sense to think beyond the purchase, even at this stage.
If the sale is approved, the district has to close on the property and then start maintaining it while working on plans for its use.
“None of this can happen tomorrow,’’ Bills said. “It’s all pending a vote, and I respect the voters.”
He shared some of the top ideas for the property with syracuse.com | The Post-Standard:
A new district transportation garage
This idea makes the most sense, he said. The existing garage needs to be repaired. Plus, the new regulations for zero-emission school buses require more space and longer bays for the buses in the future.
Bills said the existing district transportation center has to be renovated no matter what. If the golf course land is used for a new center, it would free up the old transportation center at the high school for other uses. These could include space for career and technical programs, special education and tech education, Bills said.
In addition, it could alleviate the parking crunch at West Genesee High School.
“We are pretty tight right now,” he said. “If the buses aren’t there, the space for buses could all become parking. That’s parking that would be right next to the stadium, which could mean more event parking and more student parking during the day.”
New athletic fields
These also could be part of the space. Junior varsity teams practice at other schools in the district, and moving them to a centralized location near the high school would free up parking and playground space at the other schools, Bills said.
Nature center and walking trails
There’s enough space to create a different access point to school property and also to think about outdoor educational programs.
“How about a nature center where kids can learn about the natural environment, and maybe elementary school kids could take field trips there?” Bills suggested.
The space is large enough that there’s room for a buffer between whatever the district does with the property and the surrounding residential neighbors.
Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com