District proposes leasing land to Scottsdale

Scottsdale Unified School District officials want to lease the grounds of Cheyenne Traditional School to the city to use for ballfields in an effort to add more revenue to the district.

As part of its wide-ranging plan to consolidate school sites in Scottsdale, the district would merge Aztec and Zuni elementary schools at the Zuni campus, and the Cheyenne school would relocate to Aztec's campus by June. A formal vote on the plan is scheduled for December.

The district has had discussions with city officials about the ballfield proposal, said David Peterson, the district's assistant superintendent of operations.

But he said it's too early to have a cost estimate for razing the modular buildings on the campus or how much money the district could reap from leasing the land.

By combining the Zuni and Aztec schools, the district expects to save $850,000 per year, Peterson said. The district also would save an additional $16.5 million if the Cheyenne site is not rebuilt, he said.

Scottsdale's parks and recreation director, Bill Murphy, said while the city has a sufficient number of ballfields to meet current demand, it's always looking for suitable space to keep up with growth.

"We are seeing more club teams forming and lacrosse growing. There is a large growth potential for more fields," Murphy said.

The city helps to coordinate youth sporting events at Scottsdale's 56 school fields and 35 park fields, he said.

It makes sense, he said, to build ballfields on the Cheyenne school site to complement nearby Cholla Park, which offers residents tennis courts, a playground and other outdoor amenities.

Meanwhile, two new Scottsdale ballfields will debut Monday near Yavapai Elementary on a park site south of Roosevelt Street.

The fields will be used by children during school hours and by adults and sports leagues at night, Murphy said.