A public hearing on Mount Vernon School District’s proposed new activities complex at the latest school board meeting Monday, May 9, clarified plans for and addressed concerns still remaining about the proposed project.
The site plan has been approved by Mount Vernon’s City Council and the city’s Planning and Zoning Board.
Reducing the light pole height from 90 feet to 80 feet so less light spreads outside the complex, and adding another access road still need to be discussed and approved by the city council.
At the school board meeting, project architect Loren Hoffman, of Hall and Hall Engineers in Hiawatha, addressed the project’s major details and issues.
Parking and accessHoffman met with first responders about a month ago to discuss access to the area.
The engineers estimate that 10 to 20 percent of attendees could walk to the facility, and people could also park on the streets.
During games, no parking will be allowed, though, on either side of Tenth Avenue, on the connector roads between the schools, or in areas that aren’t wide enough for emergency vehicles to pass through.
The area within a quarter mile of the Performing Arts Center entrance does have 560 parking spaces, which is about one space for every 2.8 people attending an event.
The engineers are aiming, however, to have one parking space for every 2.5 stadium attendees. So a future parking lot with 70 additional parking spaces is planned to be added behind the high school when funds are available for it.
SignsDuring events, temporary “No Parking” signs will be placed at key intersections and along Thirteenth and Fifteenth Streets for at least one year.
Stadium orientation
and capacity The stadium will be north of the high school and will be oriented north/south.
It will be located approximately 50 feet east of where it was originally planned to be sited, due to a recent land purchase from Cornell College.
The home bleachers will be on the west side of the stadium, near Stonebrook, and have 1,285 seats. The visitors’ bleachers will be on the east side and have 238 seats.
To obscure the athletic complex from Stonebrook, some earth will be mounded behind the west-side bleachers, and trees and shrubs will be planted there.
The ground on the back of the bleachers will also be raised three to four feet so the bleachers will be sunken below grade.
Entrance to
the complexThe complex will have one public entrance on the south, where there will be pedestrian access, a ticket booth, restrooms and concessions.
The emergency vehicle entrance will be on northwest side of the stadium, just north of the bleachers. It will connect to Thirteenth Avenue in Stonebrook.
LightingA glare impact study of the planned complex shows that the highest intensity lighting is on the field, and lower (minimal) glare goes to the west edge of the property.
The light fixtures will point down so they will light the area under them.
The engineers are asking the city for a variance for the lights to be 80 feet high instead of the regulation 90 feet high, to keep the light glare on the complex property.
Night lights will be on only during track events.
Storm water
detention basinsThree detention basins will be located south of the athletic facility. Together they will have enough capacity to collect the amount of rain water that’s expected to fall during a 100-year storm producing seven inches per hour.v
The current water detention basin north of the high school will have three to four feet dredged out and will have its berm raised one foot to hold additional water so it won’t overtop until a 50- or 75-year event occurs.
It will also have a designated spillway to direct water flows to the south, adjacent to the west side of the parking lot, so it cannot flood the neighbors in Stonebrook. “We are not just getting by; we are improving the situation,” said superintendent Greg Batenhorst.
A new detention basin, sized to meet the new needs of the athletic complex, will be added just north of the current basin, south and west of the new complex.
A smaller, new detention basin will be added on about a 10-acre site at the back of the high school, south of the east side of the new complex. It will slow down run-off from the 131 acres that drain into that area, allowing water to run into the drainage swale safely.
TrailsAn eight-foot trail will be installed between the three water detention basins south of the athletic complex. This trail will connect with an existing trail where there is currently a switchback, and will exit the complex area to connect with Stonebrook.
Trails around the complex will have lighting so they can be used more.
Bid alternatesTwo bid alternates for the project are also being discussed: approximately $132,000 for additional parking, and approximately $225,000 for a team room. If these can’t be done at the same time as building the athletic complex, they will be roughed in for the future.
Additional possibilities being discussed are approximately $25,000 to enclose the bleachers to use for storage and to shield the light for Stonebrook, as well as an approximately 15-feet by 30-feet storage area at the northwest end of the track.
Possible future
new roadwayThe school district is having conversations with the city and with Cornell College on possible new roadways by the new complex, such as a north/south road on the east end or the east/west end of the complex.
If these discussions come to fruition, the complex could have a second road into and out of it.
First Street fieldThe school district plans to keep the First Street field to use for play and practice spaces for events such as, for example, middle school soccer, Batenhorst said.
Even though the field isn’t regulation size for soccer, isn’t in good shape for football, weather issues with using it are increasing over time, and it’s hard to access the neighborhoods, “We did a ton of work on it this year to keep it usable, and we’re determined to keep it that way,” he said.
Cost and TimetableThe entire project, including contingencies, would cost about $5.5 to $5.7 million, Batenhorst said.
Funding would come from a combination of private fundraising (possibly $2 to $2.5 million), PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy) funds the district has saved ($1 million) and a PPEL loan ($3 million). A PPEL loan would not impact what the district needs to do day-to-day.
“We see this as a 50-year project,” said Batenhorst. “We see this as what we need to be commensurate with our programs (for many years to come).”
He also sees the project as one that is for both the schools and the community, as both will be able to use the PAC for their activities—to sit, talk, run, etc. “We see this as a community space,” he said.
Timetable The school district hopes to put the activities complex out to bid this August, open the bids and approve one this coming September, begin work on the project in either fall 2022 or spring 2023, and complete the project in either spring or summer 2024.