The Waukee, Iowa, City Council has approved agreements to buy 160 acres of land that will be the site of a city-owned sports complex and the school district's second high school.
"The district knows it’s outgrowing its original high school and we know there’s huge resident demand for more outdoor recreation spaces," says Waukee Mayor William F. Peard. "This is a win-win.”
The cost of the land was $6.2 million, The Des Moines Register reports. Adding a high school will help Waukee respond to years of rapid enrollment growth. The district has 9,253 students in 2016, compared with 2,409 in 2000.
“The school district has been watching enrollment projections and planning, knowing that a second high school would eventually be needed," says Waukee School Superintendent David Wilkerson. "Identifying the site for the proposed school was the first step."
About two-thirds of the land will be home to a new high school building, as well as parking areas, a track, four ball fields, practice fields and a pond.
The city’s portion of the property will have 12 softball/baseball fields and parking.
A tentative timeline for developing the site envisions a bond referendum in 2018 to provide funds to build the high school. If that is approved and the schedule holds, Waukee's second high school would open in 2021.
