By Emily West
The Ellicottville school board has begun looking into selling a plot of unused land behind the school.
“There certainly is a substantial amount of acreage there that really serves the school district no purpose anymore,” said Mark Ward, superintendent. “With the tough economic times, it seems it’s a good time to try the market.”
The plot of land, which borders Holiday Valley, sits west of the school. At the school board meeting on Sept. 13, Ward estimated it to be about 100 acres.
“We believe this location is pretty valuable,” Ward said.
Besides taking timber off it, the district has not been using the land, said Ward.
“We have the land sitting there. It’s been there since the property was bought back in the ‘50s,” Ward said. “This property may better be served being in the hands of somebody else.”
Part of the planning involves talking with Holiday Valley to see if the district could access the land with existing roads, or if it would have to build its own access road and bridge.
“We have a lot of details to work out,” Ward said.
At the meeting, the school board made tentative plans to walk the land at 9 AM on Columbus Day, October 10.
“Anything right now is premature other than the fact that we have the land and we’re interested in seeing if there’s a market for it,” Ward said.
