CWI moving ahead with Boise land purchase

The College of Western Idaho will proceed with the purchase of 10 acres of land for a Boise campus at Main Street and Whitewater Park Boulevard, trustees said Monday.

The final sales prices will be $8,737.226, about $150,000 less that the original price CWI officials announced earlier this year.

“After reviewing all the factors associated with long-term development on the property, we believe it will be the best solution for a permanent Ada County Campus,” said Guy Hurlbutt, CWI board vice chair.

CWI announced in April that it intended to buy the 10-acre parcel for $8.8 million. The college immediately faced some public criticism for not first obtaining an appraisal to see what the property was worth and for not checking with the Ada County assessor to see its assessed value, which was $3.6 million. Trustees backtracked, apologized for not getting the appraisal and ordered one, which showed the property valued at $8.97 million.

The school still has to close on the purchase, which could take up to 60 days.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 8:10 PM with the headline "CWI moving ahead with Boise land purchase."