The Richland School District is growing by 10 acres.
The district is buying a parcel of state trust land in West Richland, directly north of Tapteal Elementary School on North 62nd Avenue. The price tag is $961,000.
District officials haven’t yet settled on a specific use for the property but are playing around with several ideas, said Shawna Dinh, spokeswoman for the Richland School District.
“We are excited for the future development opportunities this parcel of land provides the (district), allowing us to continue to build spaces for our students to grow academically,” added Richard Krasner, the district’s executive director of operations, in a statement.
The Washington State Board of Natural Resources approved the land transfer during a meeting on Sept. 5 in Olympia. The property was among millions of acres granted to Washington by Congress at statehood to provide revenue for K-12 school construction.
The state Department of Natural Resources managed it for agriculture, with revenue going to the Common School Trust. However, the property lacked water rights, and it was determined that agriculture was no longer its best use, state officials said.
Money from the transfer to the Richland School District will be used to buy replacement land elsewhere in the state that’s better suited to support the trust, the state officials said.
“This transaction demonstrates that the Department of Natural Resources supports public education in Washington state in many ways, and I am proud that this transaction will have an impact locally and allow us to purchase lands that will better serve our schools across the state,” said Hilary Franz, commissioner of public lands, in a statement.