Jacksonville council approves land purchase for possible swap with JSU

Kittystone Elementary School

The Jacksonville City Council voted Monday to pay $167,000 for 7.4 acres of land that was once part of the old Profile Mill.  City Council President Mark Jones said the land could be used for a land swap with Jacksonville State University. Jones said that earlier Monday, university officials said they may be interested in exchanging Kitty Stone Elementary and Eastwood School for the 7.4 acres.  University President Bill Meehan said the JSU Board of Trustees will be presented with the matter later on this year. Its next meeting will be held in July.  Jones said he thinks the Kitty Stone property might be a good spot for city hall. Officials have been discussing the possibility of relocating city offices, which are now located in a short strip of buildings east of the Public Square.  The council president also said Kitty Stone elementary could still potentially be home to a new middle school.  The Jacksonville City Board of Education voted to move the elementary school, and discussed the possibility of repurposing the elementary school as a middle school. Then, this spring, the board decided not to build a middle school at the current Kitty Stone campus, citing a lack of funds.