Agassi school up for council vote

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2000 | 10:51 a.m.

Parents of middle school students in West Las Vegas could soon have their first real educational option.

The Las Vegas City Council is expected to vote Wednesday to enter into a lease agreement with the Charter School Development Foundation, the company planning to build the Agassi Charter School.

Tennis great and Las Vegas resident Andre Agassi has planned the school as an adjunct to the community assistance his Boys and Girls Club provides. The first phase of the project will be a $3.1 million school for students in grades 5 through 8.

The Agassi Charter School ran into some hurdles when it was first proposed on 11 acres east of the Vons Shopping Center on Owens Avenue near H Street because residents wanted commercial development in the area.

The city purchased some land from the Roman Catholic Church to offer the school 7.5 acres on Lake Mead Boulevard between Lexington and J streets.

Under terms of the 49-year agreement expected to be approved Wednesday, the school will lease the land from the city for $1 a year. The deal also calls for joint use of a parking lot on the southern portion of the school property, nearest the city's Doolittle Community Center.

The deal was unanimously approved to go to the full council during a Real Estate Committee meeting Monday. Councilman Lawrence Weekly thanked city staff for coming up with a new location for the school.

"Relief is on the way," Weekly said. "This will give parents a positive alternative to educating their kids."

Construction of the school is set to begin in about three months and should take about a year to complete.