As Ignite Emporia continues its work to support economic and workforce growth in the local community, a new proposed partnership could go a long way in assisting in those efforts.
During the USD 253 Board of Education’s most recent meeting last Wednesday, Ignite Director Rob Gilligan, along with City of Emporia Special Projects Coordinator Jim Witt, began initial discussions on the potential acquisition of district-owned land that Gilligan describes as underutilized. Gilligan says Ignite’s hope is to purchase the land — on the north end of Riverside Court, 327 South West, and the Mary Herbert Education Center property at 1700 West Seventh — and repurpose those parcels for future development opportunities.
Gilligan says there are a number of potential uses for the property, however, the chief thought at this time is using the land to develop affordable housing in the city of Emporia.
Gilligan believes there is also the potential to utilize the land for the purpose of providing hands-on learning experiences for students in the district’s technology education program.
No decisions on the request have been made as the board has requested time to research the property and proposal to see if there are any other potential uses for the property that better meets the district’s needs before moving forward with a sale of either property.
Word on when discussions may resume on the proposal is currently pending.
