The Kenai Peninsula Borough will buy land near Nikiski North Star Elementary School as a “strategic acquisition” following assembly approval last night.
The 4.6-acre piece of land is to the immediate west of the existing school site on Holt Lamplight Road. In total, the borough’s spending $59,000 on the acquisition. That price tag includes $53,000 on the land and $6,000 for closing fees.
Aaron Hughes is the borough’s land management officer. During a committee meeting earlier this month, he told assembly members the borough keeps an eye on properties that could make strategic investments.
“From time to time, we'll continue to watch for current listings that are brought forward on MLS to see if there's anything adjacent to borough lands,” he said. “So trying to get ahead of an actual need that takes place, especially in a softer market. So we try to take advantage of when those properties come available.”
The borough’s interested in the property near Nikiski North Star for a few reasons. The school currently sits on a 28-acre piece of land and serves 242 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. It’s bordered to the south by Salamatof Lake and by private property on the north and east sides.
All of those reasons mean it would be challenging to expand the school’s footprint, if needed.
During the same committee meeting, Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche pointed to Chapman Elementary School in Anchor Point as an example of what could happen in a case where a school needs to expand. Improvements to the school’s parking areas was one of several projects included in a school maintenance bond in 2022.
“Chapman has a major pick-up, drop-off safety issue on the highway, and the adjacent property owners know it,” he said. “So, when they know it, things get real expensive. So yes, when we see something like this – I had to get talked into it. I wanted to see a justification. I don't want to buy anything we don't need. I'd like to sell some stuff that for housing and things like that. But this particular piece makes sense.”
Micciche agrees the borough should take advantage of the opportunity in Nikiski.
The money the borough’s using to buy the land comes from its Land Trust Fund. That’s the account into which the borough’s Land Management Division deposits revenue from its surplus land sales. The trust exists to finance borough purchases of land as needed.
The borough planning commission unanimously backed the Nikiski purchase at a meeting earlier this month.
