Fort Mill School District Four To Build New Elementary School Inside Village of Baxter
January 13, 2000

Fort Mill School District Four has voted to build an elementary school on 19 acres of land donated by the Close family inside the Baxter Village. The school is expected to open in time for the 2001 school year.

In addition, the school board voted to build a new elementary school on 51 acres of land located near the Anne Springs Close Greenway. Clear Springs sold this land to the board for $1.36 million.

"We are very grateful to Clear Springs Development Company and the Close family for donating the Baxter site for one of the district's new schools," said Superintendent TEC Dowling.

"The sites are excellent and will help us meet some very pressing needs in this district," Dowling said. "We're also very fortunate to live in a community with a family that time and time again provides this kind of support to the school district."

According to Dowling, the donated site, as well as the reasonable price for the land near the Greenway, will allow the district to spend considerably less money on two new facilities than was budgeted.
"This will allow us to do more with the school buildings, for the benefit of the children," Dowling said.

The school located inside Baxter will be located off North Sutton Road in the southeast quadrant of the village. The site, which is valued at $2 million, comes with infrastructure in place, resulting in significant cost savings for the school district. The site is about 500 feet from the newly constructed, four-laned North Sutton Road, which has water, sewer, electricity and natural gas utilities in place.

"By having a school located inside Baxter, residents can enjoy the benefits of a true pedestrian village," said Don Killoren, chairman and CEO of Clear Springs.

Southern Management Group of Columbia, the construction management group retained by the school district, evaluated the two sites offered by Clear Springs and determined that the sites would serve both the short- and long-term needs of the district.

"The generous land offers by Clear Springs will allow the district to reinvest the money it would have otherwise spent to secure the land in the programs and services that directly impact students," said Jim Britton, senior project manager for Southern Management.

"It is unusual for a developer to make such a generous offer of land," Britton added. "I hope this action by Clear Springs Development spurs other developers in the area to do the same."

The school will be located only a short walk or bike ride from all points inside Baxter. In addition, the school is conveniently located near the new Fort Mill public library, located at Baxter's main entrance, as well as close to an open space that is planned for future ball fields and playgrounds.

The school also will have access to the same leading-edge telecommunications capabilities enjoyed by Baxter residents, including advanced wiring systems and high-speed Internet connections.

The 1,000-acre Village of Baxter, located 20 minutes from uptown Charlotte in the southwest quadrant of S.C. Highway 160 and Interstate 77, is a traditional neighborhood offering single-family homes and townhouses, as well as commercial sites and more than 400 acres of open spaces.

Modeled after small towns of the Southeast, Baxter's traditional architecture will reflect the style and character of the upcountry South Carolina region. Features such as front porches and abundant sidewalks will orient activity to the front of homes, promoting a pedestrian-friendly community.

For more information on Baxter, call (803) 802-TOWN or toll free (877) 570-HOME. The Information Center is located at Baxter's main entrance off Highway 160 and Interstate 77 at Exit 85.