Washoe County Commissioners unanimously approved the $3.1 million sale of land at the Wild Creek Golf Course. The next step is for the school district to take their plans to the city of Sparks for the development agreement process, but that did not’t happen before a lengthy debate between community members at a public hearing on Tuesday.
Members of the community battled out the two sides of the debate over the Washoe School District’s plans to build a school on 87 acres of the 211 acres that make up the Wild Creek Golf Course. “This has been a project we've been working on since November of 2016. We started right away thinking about where we can build the high school. And we envisioned Wild Creek as the perfect location,” said Washoe County School District COO Pete Etchart. Not everyone agrees with that point of view. “There could be better locations for it because of the traffic situation on Sullivan Lane and McCarran Ave,” said Washoe County Commissioner Jeanne Herman.
The school district has a plan to spend as much as $200 million to build the new learning facility at the location, and then transform Hug High School into a technical school. “We know it’s going to relieve overcrowding at Spanish Springs High school. We know it's going to provide opportunities for technical education,” said Etchart. A lot of us feel maybe that was not the right location for this school. But in the long run we need another high school and we need a trade school. And this solves both those problems,” said Commissioner Herman.
The land not used for the school, will be used for a much smaller 9 hole golf course that will be located next to the school. According to the school district, funds paid for the land sale will be used for that course. The county, not the school district, will maintain that course. “I feel like we did the best we could. You know that compromise thing,” said Herman. “I think we'll be great neighbors with the golf course next door. It’s really a great opportunity,” said Etchart. The Washoe County School District hopes to have the school at Wild Creek finished, and kids going to classes there by 2022.
