NORMAN — What once were city-owned recreation centers at two middle schools now are the property of Norman Public Schools, capping a transfer process a top school district official says has taken about 15 years.
The Norman school board voted unanimously Monday to buy the 50-year-old buildings at Whittier Middle School, 2000 W Brooks St., and Irving Middle School, 125 Vicksburg Ave., for $10. The buildings — which include a gym, a dance room and other rooms — are individually about 12,500 square feet, said Justin Milner, the district’s assistant superintendent and chief operating officer.
Norman Superintendent Nick Migliorino said owning and investing in the centers has been a long-standing goal for the district.
“I am grateful to our associate superintendent and chief operations officer, Justin Milner, for working alongside the city to help make this happen,” Migliorino said. “This will allow us to create even more opportunities for our students and expand the services available to our families. We are committed to ensuring that this transition benefits everyone involved.”
The city bought the land in 1975 from the district for $150,000 to build the recreational centers, which are entirely enclosed by district property, meaning the public could not access the facilities during school hours. Over the years, the city has used the facilities for youth sports, after-school programs and summer camps, while the district used them for assemblies, plays, performances, physical education, basketball games and other school-related activities.
In February 2024, the city moved its youth sports programs to the newer Young Family Athletic Center, and the city’s after-school programs and summer camps use only a small portion of the Whittier and Irving facilities. According to a staff report to the Norman City Council, “the value of these facilities to the City is minimal, and their municipal use has been largely abandoned.”
The city council approved the sale on Feb. 11. The school district, the eighth-largest in Oklahoma, now can work to refresh the buildings and won’t have to schedule around the city’s use of the building.
Milner said one classroom in each of the centers will be reserved for the city’s after-school programs, so that service can continue. A memorandum of understanding will be developed to ensure that happens, he said.
Norman Public Schools has bought the recreation center at Irving Middle School from the city of Norman.
“Both principals are super excited about being able to acquire this space,” Milner told school board members. “There are some additional rooms, other than the gym, which will allow (the schools) to grow a little bit, so that’s a good thing. We’ve always been utilizing the gyms for games and other activities, so being able to control that when we need to, I think is super exciting for both principals. It gives the freedom to the principals to be able to utilize them truly as part of their building.”
Dirk O’Hara, the school board’s vice president, praised the willingness of the city to make a deal with the district.
“They’ve been open-minded,” O’Hara said. “They’ve wanted to work out a solution, as well. It’s just been tough when you’ve got a city building leased and owned on Norman Public Schools property. It wasn’t as simple as what it sounds like now.”
Jason Olsen, the city’s parks and recreation director, said the sale should be a positive for all involved.
“We appreciate the longtime partnership and collaboration of Norman Public Schools,” Olsen said. “As our community continues to grow, we will continue to work together to best serve the community. We share in their excitement of being able to utilize these spaces to expand the services of NPS and look forward to continuing quality child-care programs for Norman families.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Norman school district buys two recreational centers from city for $10
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