By Jenna Brannaman-
Imagine what it would be like to have a football game on a turf field with plenty of parking for the fans. Or a high school theater production in a brand new auditorium that has enough seating. The bonding for these facilities was discussed at the Mount Vernon Fine Art’s Association’s monthly meeting on Sept. 2, in the high school commons. There were 14 people in attendance including the guest speaker- Mount Vernon superintendent, Dr. Gary O’Malley. He believes that it’s time to decide on allowing the community to weigh in and eventually cast a vote.
The bond, if approved, will be used to build a multi-sport complex containing an eight lane track, tennis courts, and a turf field for multiple sports, activities and PE class. Also included in the bond would be a brand new auditorium that would seat an estimated 800-1000 people. With Dr. O’Malley’s all or nothing approach, choosing between the two is not an option.
At the moment, Mount Vernon has a football field without locker rooms for the teams and is used for football only. The auditorium doesn’t have enough workshop space for tech, nor does it even have enough seats for a sixth through eighth grade middle school band concert. During a concert families are rotated in and out of the auditorium based on the grade of the student. “We applaud our teachers for organizing such an event,” said Karla Steffens-Moran, president of MVFAA.
Over the summer both facilities were updated. The football field now has new bleachers on the home side thanks to generous donations and over 4,000 volunteer hours. The auditorium has a new floor, a fresh coat of paint, and is fully up to code. These updates were needed in order for continued use of the facilities.
The MVFAA did approve of having community involvement and finding out what their wishes are. The motion for supporting the bond has been postponed till further information is obtained. There are still many concerns relating to the possible bonding within our school district and Dr. O’Malley stated that he will gladly address those questions through press, online, and conversations.
