ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Agriculture programs at Liberal High School have been seeing growth and recently, USD 480 made a purchase to help with that.
During a quick special meeting that took place Dec. 22, the USD 480 school board voted 5-0 to approve the purchase of the former Pantera Energy building at 1707 W. 2nd St. Superintendent Dane Richardson said the purchase was necessary for planning needs.
“The Board of Education is always trying to look at needs that are immediate, but also trying to be proactive in planning for needs of the distant future,” Richardson said. “Safety is very important to our administration and board. This location provides the safest access for students because of its proximity to the high school. We have needed space for our Agriculture and FFA students since the program started two years ago and have been keeping our eye out for anything close to the high school that would facilitate the needs of this growing program. With our new Agriculture and FFA programs growing at the rate they are, we have been looking to add a space for them that would facilitate the large footprint that is required for these types of programs. This property was unique in the fact that the outside buildings and shop can already accommodate much of the needs needed for our programs. We were fortunate enough to come across this opportunity and look forward to making it work for our staff and students moving forward.”
While some plans for the building’s use are still being discussed, Richardson said there were many appealing factors about the property.
“We are still deciding on how we will utilize the entire building. The reason we decided to move on this property is because of the land and existing outbuildings along with the shop that can be utilized by our ag and FFA students almost immediately,” Richardson said. “We will turn our focus to utilizing the front part of the building the best way possible after we have made the proper adjustments to the exterior space. I believe everyone will be excited about the opportunity it will provide for an adequate space for hands-on learning. This building is an answer for many of the limitations and problems our administration has been facing to help grow the program. We feel fortunate to have found something directly adjacent to our high school campus that solves an immediate problem but may also provide solutions to future needs.”
There are multiple other benefits the district will see from the newly acquired property.
“The overwhelming benefits of this property are the space it provides, the existing outbuildings that can easily be repurposed for what our students need, and the proximity to our high school campus,” Richardson said. “The chief concern from the outset of adding an agriculture program was finding space for our teachers and students to be able to house a variety of livestock and equipment our main campus cannot facilitate. The building itself will be a focus down the road as we look to make the exterior and outbuildings what the agriculture staff and students need in the immediate future. We are excited to have the space in the building, but our focus is on the area outside of the building at this point.”
Overall, Richardson said, he is excited to see the project come to fruition.
“I am most excited about how our agriculture program has become so popular that it required space to continue its growth. This property will allow the program to expand and provide the type of education our students adequately need in this area of Career Tech Education,” Richardson said. “Finding a space for an agriculture program is nearly impossible if it is not built into the original design of a school. Finding a space we could use for our students to participate in hands-on learning was vital for the continued success of our students, school, and community. The acquisition of this property was specific to the growing popularity of our Agriculture and FFA programs. While we will utilize the building the best and most efficient way we can in the future, right now we will be focusing on making the rest of the property usable for our agriculture program at LHS.”
