Discussions concerning a stand-alone building for the Culver Youth Club are looking like the project may be getting closer to reality. Members of the Culver Youth Club Board of Directors were before the Culver Community School Board Monday, February 5 to discuss a proposed project.
Dana Neer said the Culver Youth Club and the Culver Community School Corporation have had a great partnership over the last two decades to provide enrichment to students. The school corporation hosts the Youth Club in the Elementary School for after school and summer programs. Neer said there is a daily membership of 75 to 80 students with an annual membership of over 100.
That membership has grown to the point where the current space is no longer adequate. At the same time, the Elementary School could use the Youth Club space to expand curriculum efforts.
Neer said a step has been taken to design a plan to build a facility on school grounds by the Elementary School. The building would house classrooms, a gymnasium, and restroom facilities. There would be enough space for programs and a possible daytime daycare component.
The cost of the construction would be about $1.5 million.
Superintendent Karen Shuman explained that $500,000 was not used during the corporation’s recent bond projects as a water line replacement was not done at the Elementary School so this money could be used toward the project. With that money, Neer said $200,000 to $300,000 would be applied for through United Way as a way to help fund the project, as well as funds through the READI grant that focuses on daycare, and individual donations.
Maintenance needs and costs would be negotiated by both boards. In the end, the Culver Community School Corporation would own the building, and the Culver Youth Club would lease the building from the school in a Memorandum of Understanding on a long-term basis.
Board member J.D. Uebler commented that there are many hours of the day that the building could complement both entities to best utilize the space.
Shuman also explained that two public hearings would need to be held in order for future action in a board meeting to change the original bond resolution for this proposed new construction. She said the board needed to approve action to advertise this proposal for public hearing which was unanimously approved.
It was also stated that if the school corporation does not choose to move forward with spending the $500,000 in bond money at the end of February 2025, it would revert to accounts used to address the bond’s principal and interest.
