Land Purchased On Cleveland Road For New Elementary School

SMITHFIELD – On Tuesday, the Johnston County School Board approved the purchase of 20 acre tract of land near Smithfield for a future elementary school. 

The school board agreed to pay $40,000 per acre, for a total cost of $800,000, for the land in the 4100 block of Cleveland Road, near Lee Trace Drive.  The property is owned by Roberts & Wellons Inc. of Smithfield.  The total land tract is 103 acres. The school system will carve out 20 acres for a new K-5 school.

In a separate vote, the board awarded a $2,520,000 contract to Ratio Design of Raleigh to design the new school. The total projected cost is around $50 million. The new school will have a capacity of 900 students. It will help accommodate growth in the Cleveland, McGee’s, Four Oaks, and surrounding areas.

Funds for the land purchase and school construction were approved by voters during the passage of the 2022 JCPS $177 million Bond Referendum.

Officials said three additional elementary schools are still needed in Johnston County.

3 COMMENTS

  1. A new elementary school down the road from an already overcrowded high school, that commissioners said wasn’t important enough to expand.

    Just a brilliant Board of Commissioners.

  2. Has anyone notice that everything the county wants to buy is always $40,000 a acre
    Also is anyone trying to make a deal because it’s 40,000 a acre but it should be cheaper if you buy 20 acre I bet I could go and save 100,000 easily

Comments are closed.