NORTH CANTON − City Council has approved a land swap agreement with the North Canton City School District that will lead to the city owning the sites of two school buildings and the district acquiring the city’s Dogwood Pool property.
However, the district sought a change to the deal, which was announced June 8. North Canton City Schools wants the city to hold onto the deteriorating Dogwood Pool complex until 2030, when the city plans to demolish it at the city’s expense and then turn over the 4.56-acre site to the district, which plans to use it as green space by its new Middle School on Seventh Street NE after it’s constructed.
Until and after 2030, the school district would have guaranteed access outside the regular Dogwood Pool season to use the pool parking lot as a location for students and school event attendees to be dropped off and picked up by buses and vehicles.
The city under the agreement this year takes ownership of the 14.13-acre Middle School site on Fair Oaks Avenue SW and the 6.05-acre site of the former Orchard Hill Intermediate School on Jonathan Avenue SW. The district has obtained a grant to demolish the Middle School building. But the city would be responsible for demolishing Orchard Hill, Mayor Matthew Stroia said.
The deal — which was approved July 13 — does not involve any payment of money between the parties.
District officials have expressed concern that the Ohio General Assembly could require the district to sell the school buildings to a competing charter school, and they want to turn over the sites to the city before that happens.
Future use of North Canton school properties unclear
Council has not decided what the city will do with the properties it receives. But city officials have discussed attaching at least part of the Middle School site to the city’s adjoining Witwer Park and attaching part of the Orchard Hill site to the city-owned Arrowhead Golf Club. Officials have also talked about selling parts of the land to developers for residential properties or even building a new municipal pool complex on one of the sites.
Under the original deal, the school district would have taken over ownership of the pool this year and then leased it back to the city for $1 per year for four years during which Dogwood Pool would operate before being demolished.
Stroia said the district apparently wants to avoid the potential liability and potential lawsuits of owning the pool complex. Under the final agreement, approved by council, the legal transfer wouldn’t take place until 2030.
The school board is expected to vote to approve the land swap on July 15.
Councilmember Jamie McCleaster quipped that with the change, “This actually saves us $4.”
Councilmember John Orr asked what would happen if the pool’s liner deteriorated to the point where it can’t be repaired long before 2030. Would the city hand the pool property to the school district prior to 2030?
City Director of Administration Catherine Farina-Molnar said the administration would then bring the matter to council. City law Director Brendan Heil said the city and the district could amend the agreement.
In remarks to council last month, some residents urged the city to keep the pool.
But a presentation by city employees about the rising costs of maintaining the crumbling pool, as massive amounts of water leak out every summer, convinced councilmembers that the pool cannot be saved in the long term at a reasonable cost.
Dave Rossetti, a retiree who uses Dogwood Pool and lives in the city, asked council in public speaks on July 13 to reconsider and try to keep the pool.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people there feel that the fate of the pool has already been decided,” Rossetti said. “It would be a shame to bulldoze down such a fine facility like Dogwood Pool. If there’s anything that can be done to save the pool, … it would be appreciated by senior citizens, families and children and anyone else.”
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: North Canton agrees to swap land with school district. It signals the end of Dogwood Pool
Reporting by Robert Wang, Canton Repository / The Repository
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By Robert Wang, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
