BY MATT SCHOOLEY

The Bedford School District has signed a purchase-and-sale agreement for land that would be used for an emergency access road to Lurgio Middle School and Bedford High School, pending voter approval.

Chalant Development Corp. agreed to sell the land to the district for $275,000, much steeper than the $87,000 value the land was last appraised at by Vision Appraisal Technology.

On March 11, voters will be asked to approve Article 2 on the school ballot, which seeks spending $445,000 for the emergency access road to the middle/hig school site. Of the $445,000, $170,000 would be paid by taxpayers at an estimated 5 cents per $1,000 property valuation, while $275,000 would come out of a land reserve fund, having no tax impact, said School Board members. If approved, the road will be built on Chestnut Drive to connect with Route 101.

Under the land purchase contract, the school district may conduct environmental engineering studies, plans and materials that will be paid for out of the district’s operating budget, although Superintendent of Schools Tim Mayes said it is not a large expense.

These studies would be turned over to Chalant Development if the sales does not go through.

The contract also says the company can either accept the $275,000 or choose to receive a deeded easement, allowing the company to hook into the existing water and sewer lines at the middle/high school site to service land the company owns adajcent to the schools.

The group would have to go through town approvals to gain sewer rights, which according to the purchase-and-sales agreement, the School Board would help the company obtain.

“They would be able to construct a connection that runs along a western boundary of our property where they would connect from their property to our water and sewer, only if they can get proper approval at their expense,” said Mayes.

Chalant originally purchased the 1.3 acres of land in 1997 for $75,000. Mayes said after exploring other options the land was worth the high price the school is willing to pay for it.

“We had looked at what commercial properties were going for, and we saw prices. It’s the shortest connection for emergency access that we can find.

All other connections would be more expensive,” said Mayes, who said the school district also looked at other locations near Wallace Road and Chestnut Drive. "But the cost of those were much more expensive."