SOLON — The Solon Community School District (SCSD) is looking to add a few more buildings to their campus in the upcoming years. The talk about these additions coincides with the talks about the Solon Community Center, which has been a hot topic in recent months.
Currently, the District offices (in the former middle school) are leasing most of the building to the city for use as the current community center for Solon. Both the city and the school district are looking to upgrade.
The community wants a facility that includes meeting spaces, an indoor track and courts with hardwood floors, whereas the school district is looking for an indoor activities center with a large turf field. The school district can pay for their part through the $25.5 million bond voters approved last year.
While the city and the school are looking for different aspects in their facilities. The hope is to find a location that would allow them to share parking and lighting by having the facilities next to each other. Though finding room in the city is a difficult task, especially near the school district’s campus.
Solon Superintendent Davis Eidahl said, “We’re talking to the city about what we prioritize in each of the facilities. Would it make sense to combine them? Would it make sense to find a piece of property and put them next to each other? Is there any part of that where we can partner together?”
The school purchased a former diesel mechanic shop just north of town with some of the money from the bond. Eidahl said, “We’re turning that into our transportation office and site for our buses.”
Currently, the buses are housed behind the administrative offices/community center. Now, this transportation office will be on the outskirts of town, clearing some space at the location in-town. Eidahl said they are looking to remove everything from the property in the next few years. This is because the school is predicting they will need to build a new school building in about 10-15 years. Clearing up the land the offices are on now would allow that land to be a potential site for the new building when that need arises.
This plan is appealing to the school because it would mean they would not have to break up their campus. Eidahl said, “This footprint right here [the district offices] would be our best option.”