House agrees to turn Green Haven over to school board

Human Events, Nov 3, 2000

On October 12, by a vote of 248 to 160, the House passed a measure that would allow a school district near Lake Tahoe, Nev., to purchase 8.7 acres of land considered environmentally sensitive on which to build an elementary school.

The bill (HR 4656) would direct the Forest Service to sell the land at fair market value. The Washoe County School District, however, would be required to use the land only for an elementary school, or it would revert back to the Forest Service.

"Fair market value" was the sticking point of the debate, with opponents to the bill arguing that the usage restriction and reversion clauses drastically lowered the market value of the land. Delegate. Eni F. H. Faleomavaenga (D.-American Samoa) explained why he considered this a problem: "In this case, getting fair compensation is particularly critical because the taxpayers purchased the land under a federal program to buy environmentally sensitive land around Lake Tahoe and because the proceeds of the sale would be used to purchase additional environmentally sensitive land in the Lake Tahoe area.... This bill deprives the public of what is owed as well as the ability to offset the loss of this environmentally sensitive property with the purchase of comparable property." Chastising the Democrats, Rep. James Gibbons (R.-Nev.) said, "This administration is demanding 800%, that is more than eight times, the limited-use value as a school site. This administration's greed is an unconscionable effort to deny these children an education. Obtaining top dollar for the land seems to be more important to them than the education of our children."

Gibbons emphasized the need for a new school, pointing to Increased population, the age of the current building, which was constructed in 1964, and the inaccessibility of another district, because of a road that is closed for part of the year. "The only solution is a new school and the only suitable land to provide the students of Incline Village with a proper facility is the land to be conveyed in this bill."

Gibbons went on to question whether this sale would be a real loss and highlighted its unique educational possibilities. "This land ... is squeezed in between condominium developments and a Safeway shopping center right in front of It This is not the pristine type of ground that one normally envisions when we talk about environmentally sensitive lands with great vistas looking out overtake Tahoe.

"The fact is that this land is going to be better off being utilized as a school because the environmental sensitivities will be taken into consideration by the school in its development plan... [The school will] incorporate the sensitive elements of the site into existing education programs on water quality for the students."

A "yes" vote was a vote to allow the Forest Service to sell to the Washoe County School District at fair market value 8.7 acres of land originally purchased for its environmental sensitivity, with the requirement that it be used only to build an elementary school. A "no" vote was a vote against the bill.