Story: Rebecca Brown
By the time of the local government election in March, a contract for the purchase of Slade Campus between the Southern Downs Regional Council and Christian Communities Ministries (CCM) should be signed, according to the council’s chief executive officer Rod Ferguson.
CCM wants to purchase the campus to cater for the projected growth of the Warwick Christian College.
Mr Ferguson said both parties had concluded their negotiations, with only the finalisation of documents and an approval by Queensland Treasury necessary before the pens are put to paper.
“Both parties still intend to proceed with the contract. We’re expecting certainly before the election (March 31) the signing of contracts.
“Obviously the council is quite prepared to enter a sale arrangement with CCM. Ideally, they will be operating (at Slade Campus) from semester two this year,” he said.
Mr Ferguson said although it wasn’t the council’s intention for Slade Campus to be sold only to an educational facility, this was just the way the tender process had concluded.
He said the sale would alleviate residents’ concerns that the site would be divided into residential blocks.