Washington County schools to acquire nearly 50 acres of BLM lands

Contact: Rachel Tueller, Public Affairs Officer
Phone: 435-865-3032 or E-mail: Rachel_Tueller@blm.gov

What: R&PP exchange with the BLM & Washington County School District
When: 10am  December 19, 2008
Where: Washington County School District facilities complex on Brigham Road

St. George—December 19, 2008—On December 19, 2008 at 10 a.m., officials from the BLM St. George Field Office will present administrators from the Washington County School District (WCSD) with a patent for nearly 50 acres of land in Bloomington Hills, Utah.  The exchange will take place at the Washington County School District facilities complex on Brigham Road.

In regions like Washington County Utah, steady growth and economic constraints often limit municipalities from acquiring land to build facilities for schools and administrative buildings that serve communities. “From our perspective it’s a win-win situation,” said Marshall Topham, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education, Washington County School District.

In December of 1983, the two entities signed a lease agreement under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (R&PP) to begin the process.  Today, the land is home to several school facilities including the district’s transportation department, the shipping and receiving storehouse, the cafeteria and foods distribution center and Bloomington Hills Elementary.  In August 2008, the district also added to the property a sizeable maintenance building which serves district needs.

“It’s the most cost effective thing we can do,” Topham said, noting that several schools throughout the county rest on lands obtained through the BLM’s R&PP process including Snow Canyon High School and Heritage, Horizon, Washington and Coral Cliffs Elementary Schools. “We have continually gone back to BLM for support—it wouldn’t have been possible to house that many facilities without the help of the BLM,” said Topham.

For the WCSD, the R&PP program has enabled the district to keep up with the continual needs the region’s growth brings with it.  R&PP agreements pave the way for municipalities to obtain land, otherwise unavailable or unaffordable, which may then be used for a number of community oriented purposes including schools and libraries, museums, hospitals, parks and recreation facilities.

 “It’s a good opportunity for us. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Federal Government and this program where public land can be set aside to build schools,” Topham said. “We feel like they are a big support to us,” he said.

To date, the BLM has approved approximately 329.43 patented acres to the Washington County School District.