Land Swap Plan Moves Foward to Council

Council Committee Recommends Exchaning Land to School District for New Schools

On November 27th, the City of Troy’s Recreation and Parks Council Committee approved a recommendation to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and Troy City Schools and the City’s Board of Park Commissioners. The primary focus was the proposed exchange of parkland for school development following the school district's recent electoral success.

This MOU, related to the school building project, outlines the proposed transfer of parkland (Hook and Campbell Parks, totaling approximately 8.25 acres) to Troy City Schools for new school facilities to be built on those sites. In exchange for the parkland, the schools will provide 4 to 6 ball fields on their new properties at various locations including the current Cookson (East Elementary School) and Hook School (North Elementary School) sites and new school sites on McKaig Avenue/State Route 718 Site (West Elementary School), and Swales Road Site (South Middle School). Once the new school buildings are constructed and older school sites (Van Cleve, Haywood, Kyle Schools) are abandoned, these structures will be demolished and their lands transferred to the city for redevelopment aligned with economic development plans and the new comprehensive plan.

There was considerable discussion on the legal process for transferring parkland. It was noted that there's a specific allowance in the Ohio Revised Code for direct property transfers between the city and schools, bypassing the need to declare the property as surplus. The committee also discussed the implications of losing parkland, its redevelopment, and the equitable distribution of parkland across the city. It was noted that with the transfer of Campbell Park to the School Distrct, there will be no public parks in the northeast quadrant of the community There were concerns about maintenance responsibilities for the new ball fields and how these would be managed under the proposed agreement.

The committee unanimously agreed to move forward with the Memorandum of Understanding as an emergency measure, indicating the urgency and importance of the matter. This item will be brought up in front of the entire City Council at their next meeting on Monday, December 4th at 7:00 p.m.

It should be noted that the Memorandum of Understanding represents a strategic partnership between the city and the school district, aiming to benefit both educational facilities and community recreational needs. Furthermore, the exchange of land has significant implications for community infrastructure and recreational spaces. The loss of parkland may impact local recreational activities, although the addition of new ball fields could mitigate this.

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