Plymouth’s Board of Zoning Appeals heard a request for a zoning variance for Plymouth Schools Tuesday night.
The Plymouth Community School Corporation would like to subdivide some current property for use in future capital projects the school corporation would like to undertake.
The division of the property is necessary as school corporations in Indiana are not allowed to undertake any long-term debt. The division would allow the school to transfer that debt to another entity like a building corporation for the particular project, so that bonds could be issued for the construction. The process is the same as all school building projects must undertake for construction. The school retains ownership of the property and the “building corporation” takes on the debt service.
The school is looking at two new buildings; one is a greenhouse that would be located behind the old school bus garage just east of the Administration Building. The other would be a building to house an early childhood education addition to the current Plymouth High School building just west of the Administration Building.
The facilities would serve other school corporations in the county as well in their programs in each area.
Board member Mark Gidley asked if the other schools involved with using the facilities would also be part of the debt service. School representatives said that each had signed a contract for the use of the buildings but were not obligated to the debt service.
The board voted to pass the variance forward to the Plymouth Plan Commission who will decide whether the variance will be allowed for the project to move forward.
