The Board of Stewards of Davidson United Methodist Church on Sunday agreed to provide undisclosed financial support for the proposed $7.6 million Davidson IB Middle School/Davidson recreation center project in exchange for the right to share the facility for church programming. The town board will be discussing and possibly voting on the project at its meeting Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 216 S. Main St.

Davidson and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools have been discussing a joint project for months that would include renovating the aging school on South Street and adding a gymnasium, classrooms and offices for the town Parks & Recreation Department. CMS has about $3.6 million in already-approved bond money for the project, leaving the town to come up with $4 million.

(See our Sept. 19 project update, “Key meetings to decide IB school project’s future.”)

The town has had difficulty finding a way to finance the plan itself, so town officials have been talking to potential partners such as the church for financial support. The county parks & recreation department has agreed to include $1.5 million for the project in its bond package up for a vote Nov. 4.

The addition of the undisclosed sum from the Methodist church would bring the town closer to filling the funding gap.

Davidson United Methodist Church is one of the area’s largest religious congregations, with around 4,000 members. It has been looking for away to add  space for church programs.

Board member Jerry Hancock said Monday the proposed agreement with the town of Davidson would allow the church to share the space, including the gymnasium and classrooms, under a 20-year renewable lease.

“The board saw a lot of promise for us to expand some programs there (the IB school) without investing in new bricks and mortar ourselves,” Mr. Hancock said Monday.

“It’s also a good opportunity for us to provide some resources for the community at large,” he said.

The deal would let the church expand youth programs, he said, by providing for shared use of the gym and classroom spaces. The church also has been looking to fill a need for a space for dinners or meetings of more than 125 people.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Sept. 19, 2008, “Key meetings to decide IB school project’s future.”