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Acting Mayor outlines phased plans for school campus: community center, hockey rink, apartments
Summary
Acting Mayor Matt Rowan told residents the former school site will be repurposed into a community center and possible hockey rink, with an apartment project at ~30% design and townhomes in early stages; funding and final designs remain unresolved.
Acting Mayor Matt Rowan opened the town hall by framing a multi‑year plan for the former school campus that prioritizes a community center, possible outdoor hockey rink and a mix of housing. "The Lincoln site is staying green space," Rowan said, adding that stakes placed on the former school property are to test dimensions for "a hockey rink and a warming house." He said interior work on the community center is underway and the city is aiming for a target opening before summer 2026.
Why this matters: the campus sits at the center of several redevelopment proposals that the council says could provide new recreation space and housing options while influencing adjacent commercial investment. Councilors described a phased, fiscally cautious strategy focused first on building envelope and safety items — "we want to make sure that the building has a good roof on it," Rowan said — rather than an all‑at‑once renovation that would depend more heavily on tax dollars.
Rowan and council members described the housing components together: the orange‑shaded parcel on the plan corresponds to an apartment complex the city estimates is about 30% through its design process, while purple areas for townhomes are at the earliest conceptual stage. "We are in that 30% range of where it's headed," Rowan said about the apartment parcel, and he warned that underground parking — something the council favors — would raise costs and affect project feasibility. Councilor Perpich and Rowan said parcel plotting must be completed before later phases (townhomes and plotted single‑family lots) can move forward.
Residents pressed for specifics on uses inside the community center. Rowan said the council is open to community suggestions — rentable rooms, gym use, indoor pickleball, fitness classes and weekday programs for seniors were all discussed — and encouraged feedback by email. He emphasized that final uses will depend on what both residents and potential private partners request.
Next steps: the council will continue meetings with developers and refine budgets and site plots over the winter with the goal of plotting land in spring; construction start dates depend on financing and contractor schedules. No formal approvals or votes on site plans were recorded at this meeting.
