Burnet County, BCISD strike land deal

The Burnet Consolidated Independent School District board has approved a plan to sell a significant block of property it owns in Burnet, including the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension at 607 N. Vandeveer.

Recently, BCISD officials announced they plan to sell the block to Burnet County.

“We are excited,” Burnet County Judge James Oakley told the Bulletin. “It is a great location and a good spot where we can grow. It presents a great opportunity. There is a lot of space there we can use.”

Indeed, the Burnet County Emergency Management Office is already established next to the Extension.

During future months, the County could develop spaces at the property for major county concerns, including the Burnet County Historical Commission and Burnet County Workforce Solutions, Oakley said.

“It (the sale) is all about serving the needs of Burnet County citizens,” he added.

The Burnet County Commissioners Court approved the purchase during an executive session Feb. 13, Oakley recalled. The property, the land alone, is appraised at $570,000, Oakley said.

Indeed, if BCISD had decided to sell the property to a party other than Burnet County, it could take the county years to find additional space for important county activities at a price greater than $570,000, Oakley said.

“It is a budgeted item,” Oakley added. “It is a doable figure.”

Around the corner from the extension and the emergency office is where BCISD rents one long, one-story, rectangular property to Opportunities Williamson & Burnet County, where it operates Meals on Wheels, a senior center, and head start programs at 602 Wood Street.

During future weeks, the county plans to release a memorandum of understanding to collect rent from Opportunities and permit the group to continue operations at its current location, Oakley mentioned.

Coincidentally, the former site for BCISD Quest High School is situated on Tate Street, just a few feet north of the Opportunities quarters.

“The sale (to the county) does not include the building or land associated with Quest High School at Tate Street,” says BCISD Superintendent Keith McBurnett.

The district plans to maintain ownership of the former Quest site, McBurnett says.

Months ago, BCISD relocated Quest High School to 1401 North Main St. near Burnet Middle School. However, the district plans to relocate Quest back to Tate Street during fall 2025, according to Clay Goehring, BCISD Chief Financial Officer.