MJES land purchase not final

While it has been two months since the county school board received a
$2.7 million bid for the current Mt. Juliet Elementary School property, a
contract is still being negotiated.
Wilson County Board of Education Attorney Mike Jennings said Thursday
he has met with the development company¹s attorney and talked about possible
conditions to purchasing the land.
"We are working to see if their conditions can be satisfied," Jennings
told the school board during its monthly meeting.
Conditions surrounding the property¹s sale involving "timing" issues,
he said.
"We are talking about when the contract is signed and when the payments
will be made," Jennings said.
A Nashville development company linked to the Publix grocery chain was
the highest bidder for the 11 acres of school property off Mt. Juliet Road.
The Brentwood-based Parker-Grass Company offered $2.7 million for the land with Gadsden, Ala.-based Stinson Enterprises submitting a $2.1 million bid.
Under the board's direction, Jennings plans to write a letter to
Parker-Grass officials seeking a contract to be "in place" by the
school board's July 6 meeting.
If the contract doesn¹t satisfy the board, it does have the option to
reject all bids and start again. The board¹s deadline to sell the property is
December 2005, which was established by the Wilson County Commission.
In other business, the school board approved:
- A board of education policy manual and custodial contract change.
- New medical and dental rates for fiscal year 2005.
- A third party administrator for fiscal year 2005.
- FFirst Insurance Group to provide liability, P & C and worker¹s
compensation insurances for fiscal year 2005.
- Hiring extra staff for the extended care program.
- Reducing funds allocated to the Wilson County Youth Ranch.
- Accepting a donation for the Lebanon High School press box
improvements.
- Allocating funds to help with widening West Division Street next to
the new Mt. Juliet Elementary School.
- A new policy to the Drug-Free Workplace manual.

Staff Writer J.K. Devine can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 46 or by e-mail at jk.devine@lebanondemocrat.com.