FORT WORTH -- In a split vote, Tarrant County commissioners Tuesday approved the $4.45 million sale of a downtown Fort Worth building that will become the new campus of the Young Women's Leadership Academy.
County Judge Glen Whitley and Commissioner Gary Fickes opposed the sale of the Tarrant County Education Center building at 401 E. Eighth St. to the Fort Worth school district. Commissioners Roy Brooks, Andy Nguyen and J.D. Johnson voted for the sale.Whitley said he opposed the sale because of concerns about the site's proximity to the Intermodal Transportation Center and how that would affect sex offenders who can't go near schools."I just don't believe in this particular instance that it's the best location," Whitley said, noting that the district has agreed not to oppose development of restaurants and retail businesses on vacant lots next to the school site."What I continue to have problems with is the Intermodal Center being the hub of our downtown transportation and that is going to prevent certain individuals who have restrictions as to how close they can get to a school from being able to come in and utilize that facility," he said.District Superintendent Walter Dansby said courts set restrictions on sex offenders case by case."It varies. There is no one set rule," he said. "What we have to do is be diligent about protecting our students. We've got to protect our students no matter where they are."The downtown campus will have "state-of-the-art security measures" and a police officer assigned to it, as is customary at Fort Worth high schools, Dansby said.Renovation of the new campus is expected to begin immediately, and students and teachers should be able to move in for the fall semester, he said.District trustees agreed last month to pay $5.8 million to renovate the four-story building once the sale was complete. The funds are left over from a 2007 bond program for capital improvements.The all-girls school, which has grades six through nine, has outgrown its current location, a converted two-story building on West Magnolia Avenue.The academy opened in August 2010 and is adding a grade each year. It's a "school of choice," so enrollment is open to all female students in the district.The new location will allow enrollment to expand to about 250 this year and 375 in 2013-14, and to reach an eventual capacity of 525.The campus will undergo a "complete makeover of the interior," incorporating sunlight in most classrooms, a first-floor library, a second-floor workout facility and labs on the third floor. Students will use facilities at nearby I.M. Terrell Elementary School for athletics, Dansby said.The central location will let students tap into the bustle of downtown and perhaps launch more partnerships with businesses and professionals, officials and parents have said. Parents and students welcome the larger facility, said Monica Demar, the campus PTA president. The current academy doesn't have a gym or auditorium.Students must go to other schools for dances and orchestra recitals. Parents are divided into small groups during meetings because no space is big enough for everyone to gather, she said."We don't have to worry about that anymore," said Demar, whose daughter Leah Demar, 15, is a freshman."We're just so happy that our girls will be in a centralized location."This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Jessamy Brown, 817-390-7326Twitter: @jessamybrownHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
