The Mount Vernon Community School district’s activities complex is moving to its next steps – approval of the site plan by the Mount Vernon City Council.
Mount Vernon superintendent Greg Batenhorst said the item will be up for discussion at the Monday, March 21, council meeting, as the site plan was approved by the Mount Vernon Planning and Zoning Commission.
If the plan is approved by the council, the project will be brought back to the Mount Vernon Community School District for an additional public hearing on the project. That hearing will be slated for late spring or early summer, and communication on a date will be approved then.
The district is working on finalizing a contract with Cornell College to purchase a parcel of land that will allow the school district to move the activities complex roughly 50 feet to the east.
That minor boundary change was reviewed by the council at the March 7 meeting and approved. The deal for the purchase of the land will hopefully be completed between the college and school district within the next month.
“It was always in our plan to purchase that additional land from Cornell College if we could, to allow the project to be moved further away from Stonebrook residents,” Batenhorst said.
The goal is to hold bidletting on the activities complex in fall of 2022, with construction to begin in fall 2022 and spring 2023 with final completion set for spring 2024. The project can’t move forward without approval of the school board.
The project will be funded by private fundraising as well as a facilities loan using district funds. To date, the district has raised more than $2 million for the project, with a goal of raising $3 million from private sources.
The district will communicate in the near future regarding how the community can get involved and donate to the project. The current cost of the project is estimated at approximately $5.2 million.
Batenhorst noted the public has opportunities to voice their opinions about the proposed project at the March 21 council meeting and the school board hearing later this spring, as well as at the school board meeting in the fall when the project is placed out for bids.
“Additionally, we are available to speak with you individually or with any group of which you are a part if you would like to learn more about the project, and wish to express your opinions about the proposal,” Batenhorst said. “As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like to schedule a meeting.”