NEW PALESTINE — After several weeks of discussion, officials with New Palestine Community Schools (NPCS) passed a resolution to approve the sale of school land as well as a real estate purchase and sale agreement for a piece of district property to NineStar Connect.
The paperwork was approved by the district’s school board during an August 26 school board meeting. The documents note the land, approximately 1 acre, is located just off of county roads West 300S and South 500W.
The property is part of a massive land purchase conducted earlier by the school district of some 117 acres for future development. School district officials note that NineStar Connect, which was looking for land to build a new water tower, contacted officials with the school district several months ago to get an idea of how much it might cost to purchase enough space to install a new water tower.
Officials with NineStar say they need to make sure they’re as prepared as possible to supply water for future growth in that area. The land is listed at $35,000 and district officials said it made sense to offer up the land for sale as the area continues to grow, and NineStar services will be needed by the community.
District officials had the land appraised and determined a minimum bid based on those appraisals, and the board wishes to approve the disposal of the real estate to a public utility, the paperwork stated.
“New Palestine Community Schools sold the one-acre parcel of land to improve the overall infrastructure of the area,” NPCS communications and community relations director Craig Smith said. “This will allow for and support future growth.”
When the Daily Reporter asked Smith if district officials planned to sell more parcels of the land planned for future district development, Smith noted there are no plans at this time to sell additional land. Smith noted the district will need the property for any future projects they might come up with to handle rapid community growth.
Public relations of communications for NineStar Connect David Spencer said having a NineStar Connect presence all over the county is a good thing since being able to provide service to the community is key.
“It is my understanding on that is we’re just purchasing land for future use as there is a tipping point for when you reach a certain capacity you have to be ready for growth,” Spencer said.
Depending on how the engineering plays out, Spencer noted it looks like the new water tower could be erected in 2026.
Prior to the purchase of land from the district, which the paperwork noted could become official within 30 days once paperwork is signed at closing, NineStar had preliminary talks with officials in the Town of New Palestine. NineStar was considering a piece of town land to build the tower on near the town’s sewer plant off of CR West 300S, not far from the property the district is selling.
Town manager Jim Robinson said town officials are pleased to see NineStar investing in the community, no matter where the new water tower is built.
“We just wanted to see something on the tower that’s say ‘New Palestine’ that would represent the town of New Palestine, so that would have been nice to have negotiated with them,” Robinson said. “But, maybe school officials will do that since it will be so near their land now.”
NineStar Connect has been in the water business since 2019, and their plans are to continue to develop that side of the business in the county, officials said.
