ASHLAND — The pathway to a future park at the former site of Lincoln Elementary School cleared its last hurdle Monday night as the Ashland City Schools board of education unanimously approved a purchase agreement with the city.
The site sold to the city for $1,000, according to the text of the purchase agreement.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller and superintendent Steve Paramore have each said the site will become a park — an amenity that area of the city has lacked since the school closed in after the 2012-2013 school year.
“Once again, I just think it really does showcase our partnership with the city of Ashland,” Paramore said. “We look forward for it to continue being a bright spot that serves this community as many of our parks currently do.”
The idea to turn the Lincoln Elementary site into a park originated under former superintendent Doug Marrah. For years, no action was taken on the matter, but the idea was revived in December.
Paramore spoke about the possibility of selling the site to the city for potential park development during one of his updates to the board.
The city approved the purchase agreement at its March 4 meeting.
Now that the district has also approved the agreement, the property belongs to the city, Miller said. That means the city will take over maintenance and work to secure donations for playground equipment at the site.
“We have spoken with several potential donors,” Miller said, adding the city has also heard from several teachers who formerly worked at the school and want to donate or help with the project.
No specific details are finalized yet. Miller said if anyone is interested in donating to the project, they should contact the mayor’s office directly.
