The Oppenlander property has been recently re-appraised at a Fair Market Value of $7.875 million. The School Board is willing to sell the Oppenlander property to the City of West Linn at this appraised value, which is non-negotiable. The Letter of Intent sufficiently serves as legal reference for the issuing of a ballot for a capital bond should the City wish to seek out the interest of its voting constituents. An official Purchase and Sales agreement would be drawn up within 20 days of both parties signing the Letter of Intent. 

Yes. This has been the past practice for the WLWV School District and remains that practice. The District recently sold property to the City of Wilsonville (for their future park) at Fair Market Value. The District sold property to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (for a station in West Linn) for Fair Market Value. The District has purchased property in the past from the City of West Linn at Fair Market Value. Even when sales between public entities involved portions of property exchange, the Fair Market Value of the properties was established by both parties and factored into the exchange.

No. The District purchased the property in 1973 to be a future school site. Over the years the district used the property for athletic purposes and allowed the community to use it for athletics while determining when to build a school there. After Trillium Creek Primary was built close by and Sunset Primary was rebuilt on its current site, the school district determined that the property no longer held potential for a future school site. In January 2021, the Long Range Planning Committee deemed it as surplus and the School Board approved it for sale.

No. The School District purchases property to build schools and facilities for operational and educational programs. It is a city’s responsibility to build and maintain parks and recreational spaces for a community. The Oppenlander property was purchased with district General Fund money (not a Bond) for the purpose of building a future school on that site.

The money from the sale of Oppenlander will be designated in the District's Land account (Fund 470) and reserved for a future purchase of school property when the School Board determines the time is right. The use of the District's Land Account is up to the School Board's determination. 

No. Typically the financing of a purchase is a buyer’s responsibility and decision. The School Board will not involve itself in any financial explorations or fundraising activities that the City of West Linn, as the buyer, chooses to undertake. 

Yes. The District is determined to sell the property and prefers the sale be to the City for community use. However, the District has more urgency now than three years ago for the property sale to go through. The District is looking at a $15 million reduction to its budget next school year. The funds from the sale may serve as a critical contingency should there be any emergency expenditures next school year. The deadline for the City to purchase the property is May 23, 2025.

Yes. The District informed the City in December of its intent to sell the property to them. The price and conditions of the sale in a Letter of Intent (LOI) are ready for the City to review and sign. The LOI has all the necessary information for the City to use to file a ballot by the end of February for the May 20, 2025 election. If the City does not require an election, the May 23, 2025 deadline remains in place. 

The West Linn-Wilsonville School Board and District remain committed to engaging with the West Linn City Council and staff towards a successful outcome for our shared community.