Wayland to buy San Antonio property
___SAN ANTONIO--Trustees of Wayland Baptist University voted Oct. 5 to exercise an option to purchase the 13-acre property that is home to the university's San Antonio campus.
___The board also agreed to begin contracts for purchase of two adjacent tracts, one to the north and one to the south of the new facility, to allow room for future expansion.
___The actions were taken during a trustee meeting held in conjunction with dedication of the new San Antonio campus, located on Interstate 35 North near O'Connor Road. A new 33,000-square-foot building was occupied in September.
___The university, headquartered in Plainview, has an agreement to lease the land and building for one year from the contractor, Ed Kopplow. After that year, the university has the option of extending the lease 15 years or purchasing the property.
___Trustees voted to exercise the purchase option and to begin securing bonds for the funds needed. Total price for the land and building will be $6.6 million.
___Wayland has experienced rapid growth of its San Antonio campus, which now serves more than 1,200 students.
___In other business, trustees also voted to begin securing bids to build a 50-bed dormitory on the Plainview campus. The only residential campus in the Wayland system, Plainview's dorms were at nearly 100 percent capacity this fall, limiting room for growth among its residential students.
___A campaign had been under way to raise funding for a new 200-bed dormitory, but the urgent need for added dorm space meant university officials had to seek a building option sooner. The plan is for the 50-bed unit to be built initially, with the feasibility of adding new wings with additional beds as is needed.
___University officials said they hope construction can begin soon so the facility will be available next fall
The Baptist Standard
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