School district accepts land for tech ed center

The Lawrence school board formally accepted title Monday afternoon to about 11 acres of land that will become the site of a new technical education center for high school students.

The vote occurred during a special meeting that lasted only a few minutes. But Superintendent Rick Doll noted it was the culmination of efforts going back years to expand job-training and career preparation programs in the Lawrence school district.

The property near 31st Street and Haskell Avenue is being donated to the district by HiPer Real Estate Holdings LLC, which is affiliated with HiPer Technology Inc., a company that manufactures racing wheels in a plant at that location.

The $5.7 million project is being funded with a portion of the $92.5 million bond issue that district voters approved in April. District officials plan to begin construction of the new facility in early 2014, with plans to open for classes in the 2015-2016 school year.

The only other item of business at Monday’s meeting was the approval of a personnel report reflecting the recently announced retirement of Will Fernandez as principal at South Middle School and the hiring of Melinda Stanley as the district’s new director of technology.