Jackson Free Press

Jackson developer David Watkins presented a proposition to relocate the entirety of JPS administration to the Metrocenter Mall during tonight's Jackson Public Schools Board meeting.

"We've been working on it for four or five months, and this is the first time we're letting the public know about it," Watkins said. "We've said that any day now we'll go before the board to give this briefing, but since the board was so engulfed in budget stuff, we delayed it. But now that the budget stuff is done, they're looking at other ways to help the district."

Watkins said he is proposing the project as a two-step endeavor to help both West Jackson and Jackson Public Schools: "We want to realize long-term efficiencies and cost savings for the school district, and we want to jump-start an effort to revitalize the Metrocenter, which we are working on ferociously," he said Tuesday.

During his PowerPoint presentation to board members tonight, Watkins said he is in the process of purchasing the former Belk's department store at the mall and wants to rent it to the school district. He said the location is ideal for JPS offices because it will increase activity at the mall and raise property value. The plan is part of a larger development strategy that Watkins has been planning.

"These types of major renovations are possible, but we need more time to understand," School board member Otha Burton said in response to the presentation tonight.

Watkins and school board members agreed to schedule further meetings to discuss the plan's details.

In his State of the City address July 8, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said the revitalization of Metrocenter and the Highway 80 corridor are top priorities for the administration.

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Previous Comments

ID

158771

Comment

Ditto, Tom. Jackie Warren Tatum

Author

J.T.

Date

2010-07-21T09:52:18-06:00