Douglas schools eye BLM land for high school

MINDEN - The Douglas County School Board is looking at Bureau of Land Management land near the Carson City line as a possible site for a high school.

Board President Don Forrester said the district should work with Douglas County commissioners, who also are looking to acquire BLM land in the north part of the county on the east side of Highway 395.

"At some point in the future, we will need to build a new school," Forrester said. "If we can get land for free, it's nuts to go out and buy it."

Although the district won't build another high school for at least five years, the district is looking for sites for schools because there are a lot of considerations, said Rick Kester, the district's director of business services. He said the north end of the county makes the most sense for a high school.

"It is difficult because high schools are unique and their location requires a great deal of planning. A lot of students drive and campuses are 40 or 50 acres. They need to be well-planned about what's around them.

"Douglas County has been developed in small pieces. We don't get the planning opportunities we need to get a high school where the infrastructure serves it, and the rest of the community, in the best way," he said.

Forrester said Douglas High School is 40 acres and the school district would probably want 45 acres for a new high school, to leave room for expansion.

Forrester said the district figured the school site could work for both Douglas and Carson City.

"The Legislature has suggested a joint school. That may not happen. We've talked to Carson City about it before," Forrester said.