NOTE: Image shown is a rendering of the possible new building. This is not a guarantee of what the new building would look like.
In a 4-3 vote Monday night, the Rock Hill School Board of Trustees accepted an offer to sell the district office building and property located at 660 North Anderson Road. The vote then signaled a second vote, 5-2, to authorize district administration to build a new office on district-owned property.
The Anderson Road property has been home to the district’s administrative and support staff since September 1992. Intent to sell the property was first made public on February 6, 2012, and Rock Hill-based The Tuttle Company soon listed it for sale. In the years since, several offers were made on the property but none equal to the now accepted offer. The 42,500 square feet of office space and 12 acres of land will be sold for $2.7 million to a local company seeking to expand its operations. Meeting a required condition, the new owner is allowing the district to move its staff out of the building over the next 12 months while a new office is built. The district will relocate central service departments out of the Anderson Road office without jeopardizing quality of service provided to employees, schools, and the community.
District staff and its construction management partners continue to explore an optimal location for a new office to be built on district-owned property. In an August 8th presentation to the school board, district leaders presented possible locations for a new office including a structured purchase of space in University Center at Knowledge Park, renovation of existing space, or new construction. Currently, possible locations for the new office could include district-owned property near Rock Hill High School, Applied Technology Center, Edgewood Center, or Central Child Development Center. The second vote authorized the district to build a new, more efficient office building not to exceed $6.5 million. District staff now shifts its focus to determining which location will best serve and support the district’s nearly students 18,000 students, 27 schools, and the Rock Hill community. A newer facility will be designed with a smaller building footprint and more effective layout compared to the current office. This streamlined approach is expected to save the taxpayers more than $130,000 annually in operating expenses, which will directly benefit our students and schools.
Revenue from the sale of the current office location will aid in financing the construction of a new office. Additional capital funding for the new office will come from the sale of other properties once-owned by the school district. Remaining financing of the new construction will come from existing debt service funds. These sources will not affect the recent bond referendum authority or funds and will not impact the general operating fund or the taxpayers.
NOTE: Image shown is a rendering of the possible new building. This is not a guarantee of what the new building would look like.