GENEVA – Audience members applauded at the Jan. 21st Geneva Area City School Board meeting after the board approved a motion to put $5.75 million toward its planned athletic facility.
After voters last Fall rejected a $15,955,000 bond issue for a previously-proposed athletic facility, a committee for the project came back together to regroup. A scaled-back version of a proposed athletic facility was then presented at the December board meeting.
However, board members held off on making a decision in December to allow two new incoming board members to provide their input on the new concept.
At the board meeting, the motion to put the $5.75 million toward the scaled-back athletic facility was made by board President Michele Krieg and then unanimously approved.
The scaled-back plans call for the facility to be built beside the high school. It consists of a new football/soccer stadium, 1,700 seats, an eight-lane track, artificial turf striped for football and soccer, a new press box, new lighting and sound system and new scoreboard.
Russell Gayheart, an architect with GPD Group, made a presentation on the new concept at the meeting, noting its total cost is $5,746,792. This amount is made up of $4,402,577 in hard costs and $1,344,215 in soft costs, he said.
With the motion passed by the board, no additional taxpayer money is needed, and all the money comes from existing dollars in the Capital Improvement Fund.
Krieg wrote a post on her Facebook page following the meeting. It reads as follows:
“Last night marked an exciting milestone as our board unanimously approved (5–0) moving forward with building athletic facilities on our high school campus,” she wrote. “This project is the result of years of collaboration and commitment, made possible by the support of former board members, the leadership of our athletic facilities committee—Dr. Lombardo and (district treasurer) Mrs. (Shelley) McDermott—and the outstanding work of our engineers at GPD.”
Krieg continued by stating the project will be funded using existing capital improvement funds, with an estimated total cost of $5,746,792. She said the anticipated date of completion is August 2027.
She noted that in addition, the district will be launching a community fundraising/friendraising website and campaign in early February to support “enhancements and long-term sustainability.”
“We are excited to bring our Eagles HOME!!!!” she wrote.
Look for a further report in the Gazette on the meeting.
