Linn‑Mar board approves design phase and financing steps for indoor activity center

Linn‑Mar Community School District board members voted unanimously to move the proposed indoor activity center expansion and renovation into detailed design and to secure construction financing through a combination of SAVE (one‑cent sales tax) funds and PPEL notes.

The decision follows public comment from parents, coaches and students who said current indoor athletic space and training areas are overcrowded. “Girls deserve this new wrestling room,” said Izzy Watts, a freshman at Linn‑Mar High School who described tight practice schedules and shared weight‑room time that limits girls’ training. Parent Erin Watts, a former district teacher and union president, told the board that the community has already approved funding that makes the project possible and urged trustees to approve the next steps.

Board supporters said the move is to advance planning, engineering and financing choices — not to begin construction immediately. “The motion we voted on authorizes moving forward with the design phase and securing financing as discussed, using a combination of SAVE funds and PPEL notes, and to work with the district’s municipal…