Mark Gardner of Gardner Capital talked Monday night about the possibilities of a 30 rental houses at “affordable” rates of rent.
He made the presentation to the Aurora R-8 School Board and ask for its support of the project.
The proposed 30 houses would be built in the subdivision between Pate Early Childhood Center and South Street/Business 60.
Gardner noted the homes would feature 90-by-110-foot lots, 1,400 square feet of finished living space and rent for $475 to $500 a month. After a period of 15 years, residents could purchase the homes at a discounted rate.
He noted the homes would be similar to those already in the subdivision by a previous developer. If the district would provide a letter of support, he would include it with his application to the Missouri Housing Development Commission.
He reported the all brick or brick and stone homes would be valued at approximately $150,000 each and bring $4.5 to $5 million to the local economy.
After hearing his presentation, the school board questioned why it needed to offer a letter of support. Gardner said it was not required to have a letter of support, and school districts and cities do not always provide him with letters.
“I’m not sure it’s your role,” he said as he answered frankly about the district supporting an entity over which it had no control.
After hearing the proposal, the board voted 6-0 to abstain from involvement.
In other business, board members Roger Dummit (president), Sparks, Swartz, Charles Foltz, Scott Welch and Michele Parbury (Mark McCully was absent.):
• voted 6-0 to decline a request from Glenn and Kristina Callison (residents of the Verona School District) for their daughter to attend school here
• approved the annual Secretary of the Board Report
• voted 6-0 to seek a grant through the Missouri Green Fleet Project for a new bus
• tabled an item about energy audits
• approved proposals about tutoring from each attendance center
In reports from administrators, the board learned:
• A total of 122 students are participating in fall sports.
• The transportation director is seeking to expand the pool of substitute drivers.
• A recent grant announced by Senator Claire McCaskill involves the district acting as fiscal agent for a group of schools involved in the grant.
• The superintendent will be seeking improvement on the work provided by Sodexo in maintaining the district’s properties.
• The state’s commissioner of education will be visiting the school on September 9 in regard to a program promoted through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for September 7.
