SPS closes on property purchase for future Pipkin

Springfield Public Schools has finalized a property purchase to make way for future construction of a new Pipkin Middle School.

The district closed Jan. 21 on the nearly 8.9-acre property from the General Council of Assemblies of God, according to a news release. The property is bordered by West Division Street on the north, West Lynn Street on the south and North Campbell Avenue on the east, with the irregular western boundary abutting residential portions of the Grant Beach neighborhood.  

The property was purchased for $8 million, said SPS spokesperson Teresa Bledsoe. A 180-day due diligence period preceded the closing, allowing for site assessment, officials say.

“We are pleased that we have achieved this important milestone and are positioned to move forward with building a new middle school for students in midtown Springfield,” SPS Superintendent Grenita Lathan said in the release. “Our community was committed to keeping Pipkin as close to its current location as possible. Soon residents will start to see visible signs of progress.”

At the site, demolition of existing structures is scheduled to start in March. Bledsoe said Paragon Architecture LLC is serving as the architect for the 114,750-square-foot project that does not yet have a general contractor, with students expected to start at the new Pipkin in August 2027. The new school would accommodate around 550 students, she said.

The construction project and the purchase of the property is funded by the Proposition S bond issue, according to the release.

The SPS Board of Education in March 2024 approved the property purchase contract, according to past reporting.

Springfield Business Journal previously reported the new property contains some Assemblies of God facilities, including the headquarters of CompassionLink, an international Assemblies of God World Missions ministry, and a warehouse connected to the AG headquarters building by a sky bridge. Also included in the acreage is a church at the corner of Division and Campbell that formerly housed the Campbell United Methodist Church, now located on East Republic Road. 

The current Pipkin, at 1215 N. Boonville Ave., is located a quarter mile from the new site.