FORT WORTH -- Students at the Young Women's Leadership Academy may be moving downtown to a larger campus on East Eighth Street.
In January, Fort Worth school trustees agreed to purchase the Tarrant County Education Center building at 401 E. Eighth St., on the eastern edge of downtown. Tarrant County commissioners still have to approve the sale and are expected to vote Feb. 26.On Tuesday, trustees voted 8-1 to pay for renovations using $5.8 million left over from a 2007 bond program for capital improvements. Trustee Ann Sutherland cast the lone no vote.Superintendent Walter Dansby said the district moved on the funding now to be prepared to begin renovation work quickly if the deal is approved.Before the vote, Sutherland outlined some concerns that have been expressed to her, including whether there was enough parking at the new building and whether the campus' proximity to the Intermodal Transportation Center about a block away might restrict the access to public transportation of people who are not allowed within certain distances of a school. If commissioners approve the sale, school administrators hope to complete renovations and be ready for students and teachers to move in for the fall 2013 semester.The all-girl academy has outgrown its current space, school spokesman Clint Bond said this week. The academy opened in August 2010 in a converted building on West Magnolia Avenue.In other business, the board met behind closed doors to evaluate Dansby.Jessamy Brown, 817-390-7326Twitter: @jessamybrownHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
