GAINESVILLE - A so-called "gentleman's agreement" nearly 40 years ago has caused a current controversy for the Hall County School Board.<br />
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At issue is a 1.2-acre parcel of land the school board agreed to purchase from private property owners. The piece of property in question allows access to an activity field for the World Language Academy on Highway 53. Already, there is a driveway and a set of steps on the property the school has used for years to access the activity field, although the property itself was privately owned.<br />
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In December, the school board voted unanimously to spend up to $100,000 to buy the parcel after the owners of the tract announced they wanted to sell the entire tract; the owners agreed to sell only the 1.2-acres of the 10-acre tract to the school system. <br />
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There seemed to be no issue with the purchase until a report in the local newspaper alluded to a conflict of interest in the deal.<br />
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That report identified the owners of the property as Bobby Benefield and his brother. Benefield's son Jeff is the pastor of Chestnut Mountain Church, the church where Hall County School Board member Brian Sloan is employed as worship pastor.<br />
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The report also questioned the amount of money being spent on the parcel.<br />
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Superintendent Will Schofield defended the property purchase at a Monday evening work session, saying the individuals who built the driveway and steps knew they were building on private property, but because of a casual agreement with the private property owners, the school was allowed to use those access points for the activity field. Schofield said he got that information from former State Rep. Jerry Jackson, who lived in and represented the south Hall area at the time.<br />
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In addition, Schofield shared with school board members information on property values in the area. Schofield said he spoke with area real estate expert Frank Norton, Jr. about the entire 10-acre tract in question, which Schofield noted has access to sewer, an element the school needs.<br />
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"Frank gave me his opinion that the land in this area from Ingle's [Supermarket] south on Highway 53 is worth 65 to 85-thousand dollars per acre for larger raw tracts. He said smaller tracts could go for as much as $200,000 per acre."<br />
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As far as a conflict of interest in the case, Schofield said no matter who owns the property, the school system needs to make the purchase.<br />
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"We're in a position where that property is for sale, it has access to one of our fields at one of our schools, and I think we owe it to that school to come up with some solution to get that taken care of for the future," said Schofield.<br />
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Schofield said building a new road or driveway on property already owned by the school district would cost more than the $100,000 already allocated for the property.<br />
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Because the district had not closed on the property purchase, Schofield asked board members what action they wanted to take. <br />
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After hearing from Schofield, board member Bill Thompson made a motion to proceed with the purchase.<br />
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"I think we have done all of this in good faith," said Thompson. "I have absolutely no reservations whatsoever about purchasing this piece of property for the price that we have agreed to."<br />
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The board voted 4 to 1 to proceed with the purchase, with Brian Sloan abstaining.<br />
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