PCC to Lease Roberts Elementary School

November 28, 2011

Tucson, AZ – Pima Community College is welcoming a decision by the Governing Board of the Tucson Unified School District to lease a former elementary school to the College.

“This decision is a win for everyone involved,” said PCC Chancellor Roy Flores. “It makes economic sense for the College, for TUSD and for the taxpayers of our community.”

As reported Thursday in the Arizona Daily Star, TUSD’s Governing Board unanimously approved the lease of Roberts Elementary to PCC. The College will now begin transforming the 43,000-square-foot school into offices and classrooms for its Adult Education division and Public Safety and Emergency Services Institute.

PCC’s Board of Governors approved a five-year lease for the school earlier this month. As part of the lease, the College will make a minimum $300,000 capital investment for parking and other improvements required at the facility.

The annual lease rate for Roberts will be $70,000. Once PCC moves in, it likely will not require two other current facilities leases with a combined annual cost of $240,000.

“The savings to taxpayers will be significant,” said Flores. “But the benefits of this lease go beyond dollars and cents. The surrounding neighborhood will benefit because the school no longer will be vacant. Roberts was built as a place of learning and the College is very pleased that we are able to make sure it stays that way.”

Located at 4355 E. Calle Aurora, Roberts Elementary opened in 1961 and was named after Clara Fish Roberts, a teacher and the first woman trustee in TUSD. Roberts merged last year with the nearby Naylor Middle School.

The first term of the lease ends June 30, 2016. PCC will have the option to renew the lease for three additional five-year terms.

CONTACT:
C.J. Karamargin
Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations
(520) 206-4850