2nd MUSD high school set to go before state board next week

A contract amendment has delayed the close of escrow on the property being purchased for a new high school.

Maricopa Unified School District is closing on about 65 acres being sold by Maricopa 240 LLC at Murphy and Farrell roads. Currently a pecan orchard, the Cortona property is being reimagined for a small, second high school for the district.

Mark Rafferty, a consultant with Facilities Management Group (FMG), said the due-diligence process for closing escrow was pushed “a couple weeks” to take care of “housekeeping” items with the seller. School representatives are completing an amendment to the contract with Maricopa 240 LLC’s Craig Emmerson that “delineates what the actual off-site improvements are going to be.”

The contract terms included the district, legal counsel and the state’s School Facilities Board (SFB) and now will include the seller in the scope. Rafferty said that “legal” delay is not slowing progress of the design plan.

Meanwhile, the district met with the city manager and city engineer Oct. 19 to discuss those off-site improvements. Rafferty said they are trying to “merge” the requested improvements with the City’s requests and legal opinion. The results of that discussion will go to the state’s School Facilities Board.

Rafferty described an Oct. 22 meeting with Global Water Resources as “very successful.”

“They very much rolled out the red carpet for the district,” Rafferty said.

Chasse Building Team, FMG and the architecture firm, Orcutt Winslow Partners, have weekly meetings to track progress. The draft budgeting for the building of the second high school is “shaping up great,” Rafferty said, though the off-site improvements remain a question mark.

Wednesday was just the start of downloading documents on the land acquisition to SFB. Rafferty said he expects it to be on the consent agenda for SFB’s Nov. 4 meeting.

MUSD Superintendent Tracey Lopeman said future discussions with the board will include more ground-level and technical updates.

The Cortona property, being acquired for about $45,000 per acre, is currently irrigated agricultural property. The new high school is expected to face Murphy Road. Maricopa 240 LLC maintains ownership of several acres on the west side for residential development.