Site Selected for New Intermediate School in Perrysburg

Perrysburg School District announced at a special board meeting today that the site for the new 5th and 6th intermediate school will be located at the southeast corner of Roachton and Hull Prairie Roads. The current owner of the property, Dr. Mark Rich, is also the developer of the planned Canterbury Subdivision, which will be adjacent to the school site. The new 900-student school is scheduled for completion in August 2017. The Board of Education approved the purchase of the 18-acre site for $782,500. Included in the agreement are provisions to have required roads and utilities installed by the seller prior to the opening of the building.

Perrysburg School District is grateful for the community’s support of the $38.9 million bond issue that passed in November 2014, with the primary focus of building a school to house 5th and 6th grade to alleviate overcrowding. This will free up much-needed classroom space at the elementary and Jr. High buildings by pulling the 5th grade out of the elementary schools and the 6th graders out of the junior high school.

The Board of Education evaluated many available sites and has worked in conjunction with the Site Review Committee, which began meeting with The Collaborative Inc. in early 2015 to review potential sites and layouts. Additionally, district administrators worked closely during the process with the City of Perrysburg, Perrysburg Township and Wood County officials to evaluate each potential site and the impact a new school would have on the community. Mayor Michael Olmstead, his team and Wood County Engineer Ray Huber were very helpful in providing valuable feedback to the district. A traffic study by the county has been requested for the nearby intersection.

“We are very excited about this site and planning for the community’s future,” explained Thomas L. Hosler, Superintendent. “Growth continues to occur in this area at a very high rate and to have a school site that will eventually become part of the neighborhood and community is key.”

A consistent theme during the selection process was to choose a safe site near the growth but also centrally located to our student population. “Having our 5th and 6th graders located in what will soon be a major residential area near the population center of the district fits the model that this community has established,” stated Jarman Davis, School Board President. “At this site, we know who our neighbors will be and it will be from these homes that we draw many of our students.”

This site also provides direct access to two roads for better entrance and egress from the school site. “Numerous parcels of property that were available in the southwest central corridor of the district had some of the attributes desired by the district,” explained Matt Feasel, Treasurer. “However, finding an adequate building site that met all of the needed criteria established by the Board has been a challenge that our team has diligently worked to address. The Board examined and considered numerous sites before agreeing that this is the best one for the new school.”

“We are so thankful to the voters of our community for supporting this plan to keep up with the growth of our student population,” stated Mr. Hosler. “We worked very hard to invest in the best possible site to maintain our reputation as a destination district.”

Growth over the last decade in the school district has been steady, with an average of 1.5%-2% per year. With more family-friendly developments started and planned in this area, growth will continue. Currently, there are almost 1,000 potential new single-family residences zoned in our district, with nearly three-fourths of them located within ¼ of a mile or less from this site, including:

• Riverford Plat 6 – 16 houses
• Hawthorne Subdivision – 242 houses
• Canterbury Subdivision – 450 houses
• Reserve Subdivision – 15 Houses

Members of the Site Review Committee included Board of Education Vice President Dr. Walter Edinger, Superintendent Thomas L. Hosler, employees Dave Hall and Rob Ross as well as community members Greg Bade, Valerie Hovland, Doug Pratt, Ken Robinson and Chris Vogel.

“This committee provided the Board with valuable insights into each prospective property,” stated Board President Jarman Davis. “We were very fortunate to have such knowledgeable and civic-minded individuals helping the district with such an important decision.”