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School district amenable to limited parking use; attorneys flag reimbursement and waiver questions
Summary
School superintendent Adam Hartman said the district is open to limited parking on its front lawn for a reimagined Ichabod site; attorneys warned that any use of previously‑invested school 'BEST' funds could trigger reimbursement rules, though they said a state waiver might be pursued.
School-district officials told the joint meeting they are willing to investigate allowing a smaller parking area on school land to support a pool sited at the Ichabod property.
Adam Hartman, speaking for the district, said a reduced footprint could mean a proportionally smaller reimbursement obligation for recently completed front‑lawn improvements tied to state 'BEST' funding. "If this is a smaller footprint... it's also possible... the reimbursement... might also be smaller," Hartman said, urging further study and more detailed lot sizing before final decisions.
Dan Slater, attorney for the recreation district, and the city attorney cautioned that prior discussions estimated a refund obligation in some scenarios; however Slater noted there is precedent for requesting a waiver from the state and recommended researching that option with the school district. "We would plan to pay that back, but we would hope the school district would get a waiver as to that requirement," Slater said.
Staff emphasized that keeping the pool on the Ichabod site — rather than vacating 12th Street — could avoid acquisition costs and preserve prior geotechnical and survey work, potentially saving an estimated $1–1.5 million in site costs, though the exact savings would need confirmation in follow-up study.
No final decision was made; staff will pursue an MOU/IGA conversation with the school district and report back to both boards.
