ROCK SPRINGS — The Sweetwater County School District No. 1 is buying a 43,000 square-foot facility to help enhance the district’s career and technical education programs, while providing the district long-term savings.

According to Superintendent Joseph Libby, the district is waiting for the property owner and the title company involved to complete their portion of the purchase agreement before it can announce the location of the property. He anticipates that to take place in the coming weeks. A purchase price was also not disclosed.

The district’s board of trustees voted to approve the purchase after a lengthy executive session during its Monday night meeting. Following an executive session that lasted past 10 p.m., the board voted unanimously to amend the board’s meeting agenda to discuss a property purchase. Under Wyoming public meetings laws, a governing body can go into an executive session to discuss topics that include personnel issues, legal matters, and property purchases.

With purchases, the executive sessions are allowed to prevent potential property speculation aimed to increase the price a public entity would pay. The district’s agenda did not identify an executive session focused on a potential property purchase, only listing a session for legal and personnel matters. Governing bodies are not specifically required to announce what an executive session will involve. After a vote was taken to adjourn into the executive session, Chairman Cole Wright said he anticipated action to be taken after it ended. 

Speaking last night, Libby said the district property is an opportunity for the district to address needs within career and technical education programs. 

Libby said planning for the new high school has come up short when it comes to career education, saying the facility helps meet those needs. He also said it will represent a savings for the district.

“New construction costs are substantially large and this has the opportunity for bringing in and saving the school district and the community as a whole about $30 million,” Libby said.

Libby said the district is cash-rich and in a position to make the purchase.