Davidson’s search for a way to fund a proposed community recreation center at Davidson IB Middle School could get boost if voters approve a proposed $250 million county parks and recreation bond package on Nov. 4.

Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation officials recently increased the bond’s size in part so they could include more projects in the north end of the county, Mayor John Woods said Wednesday. The bond now includes $1.5 million for the Davidson IB Middle School recreation center. There’s also money to extend local greenways – one through the town-owned Fisher Farm, off Shearers Road, and one from the Southeast Greenway at the end of South Street to downtown Cornelius.

Mecklenburg County Commission will hold a public hearing tonight (Wednesday, Sept. 3) on the bond package. That meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. Details on the county commission website.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools already has money from a previous school bond to renovate the aging Davidson IB school, on South Street. That would include upgrading heating and cooling systems and renovating the school auditorium. Town officials have been talking with CMS about expanding that project to include a new shared gymnasium, renovating the existing gymnasium as a cafeteria and adding offices for Davidson Parks & Recreation.

Mayor Woods said he and fellow mayors and town managers from Cornelius and Huntersville negotiated with county parks officials because “the original planned bond issue really had no focus on the North. This negotiation resulted in the announced increase of the bond amount to the current $250 million. Needless to say, we are pleased with this plan.”

Davidson’s share of the $7.6 million IB school project would be about $4 million, if it is completed as originally envisioned. If the bond package is approved, the $1.5 million would get the town a step closer to funding the project, but it would still need to find additional money.

Davidson Parks Director Steve Fraher said Wednesday the town is hoping to plug the gap through grants and/or private fund raising.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had pressed Davidson for a decision on whether to join the project last spring. At Davidson’s request, the county school board delayed the deadline until this month. The Town Board is likely to discuss the issue at its meetings this month.

Davidson and north Mecklenburg residents also would benefit from other projects in the bond package, Mr. Fraher said. He said altogether, about one-quarter of the bond package would benefit the northern end of the county.

The proposal includes about $23 million for a regional recreation center serving north Mecklenburg, at a location to be determined later, he said. There’s also money for three artificial turf soccer fields at Bradford District Park on N.C. 73, which Davidson will operate jointly with Huntersville.

Meanwhile, regardless of whether the IB school project includes the community center, planning for the project will continue this fall. That will include followup meetings on details of the plan, including new parking and traffic patterns that CMS has proposed.

LINKS

Download a copy of the bond package, listing all the projects to be included, and get other information about the Nov. 4 vote at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Parks & Recreation website, www.parkandrec.com

May 28, 2008, DavidsonNews.net, “Board studies rec center plan, but hurdles remain.”

May 14, 2008, DavidsonNews.net, “Town, CMS consider joint IB school project”