CLAYTON — The Clayton School Board will decide by Monday whether to buy the Caleres headquarters after hosting a public forum where most residents opposed the plan.
The school district is under contract to buy the 9.6-acre property at 8300 Maryland Avenue for $20.9 million but has five days to back out. The crowd of 300 at a public forum Wednesday evening at Wydown Middle School was mostly critical of the board for the potential expense of the project and a lack of transparency surrounding the deal.
“We are going to process everything that’s been said tonight. We’re going to meet and make a decision as to whether or not we want to move forward with the contract,†said school board president Amy Rubin.
The two-and-a-half hour meeting grew tense at times as residents took turns at the microphone to respond to the real estate deal, which Superintendent Nisha Patel announced two weeks ago as the “Campus Empowerment Project.â€
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Several teachers and parents of current students said they would welcome additional space and technological upgrades for Clayton High School, which is adjacent to Caleres, formerly known as Brown Shoe Co.
But most speakers, including former mayors and school board members, said they were disappointed and angered by the current board’s moves.
When asked what they envision for the project, each board member gave different answers. Rubin said she hopes to sell a “large portion†of the property to a commercial developer. Stacy Siwak, the board’s vice president, said “whatever we envision will be able to be used by the whole community.†Board member Jason Growe would like to see a new performing arts center.
Jason Wilson, whose term expires this year, mentioned a new football stadium and hands-on science and technology classrooms before saying, “We’re literally open to building something amazing.â€
Wilson then drew anger from the crowd when he pushed back at the critics, saying, “You weren’t engaged prior to this moment, all of a sudden you’re so suspicious.â€
The property, which includes 275,000 square feet over three buildings, was appraised by ºüÀêÊÓƵ County at $33.5 million.
The school district’s chief financial officer, John Brazeal, surprised the crowd when he announced the sale price of $20.9 million. Board members previously said the cost would not be revealed until after the sale closed in February.
A representative from Clayco said the developer had the Caleres property under contract for $40 million two years ago but backed out because the necessary work to prepare the site would cost $15 million to $20 million before construction started.
“It’s not worth $20 million as it sits today, so for you to get up and say, ‘Look at the value we’re getting at $50 a square foot,’ proves your unsophistication as real estate developers and proves that this is a very, very risky business,†said Clayco CRG operating partner Jeff Tegethoff.