ASU Campus Update

During the last week in December, plans for a university in Payson made big strides.  Mayor Kenny Evans reported that backers of the plan finished drawing up the final terms and conditions for the key intergovernmental agreement with ASU to build the 6,000 student campus here.

The three year effort to strike a deal with ASU is finally reaching a conclusion.  Evans said that we have made great progress with the Forest Service and the County in resolving the final issues.  Evans is still hoping to have the campus open by the fall of 2013. 

The Educational Alliance and the U.S. Forest Service settled on a timeline for the direct purchase of a 260 acre parcel south of Highway 260 near the location of the Payson Ranger Station.  This agreement allows the Alliance to move forward with the purchase of the property based on appraissed value rather than open bidding.  Barring any problems emerging as a result of an environmental assessment this timeline would give the Alliance title to the property late next year.