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Marion-Der School district of Linn-Mar Community begins his next steps to design and secure funding for a new indoor activities at the high school, which is estimated at $ 53.4 million.
The Linn-Mar school authority on Monday unanimously approved to advance the project that offers the students a new wrestling room, weight room and gym as well as renovation work in the changing room.
The Indoor Activities Center would be connected to the Linn-Mar-High School south of the main fitness studio. It is financed by securing an advanced vision for education and physical plant and equipment funds. No additional taxes or financing measures are required.
Save is known as a cent sales tax from IOWA that helps school districts to pay projects such as repairs and technology upgrades. PPL is a property tax raised by the school district. The voters in the Linn-Mar Community School District approved the renewal of the PPEL by around 74 percent last year.
Both funds can be used to improve terrain, purchase, construction and conversion of buildings and important equipment purchases.
Barry Buchholz, Vice President of the Linn-Mar School Board, said the center was a “monumental thing for our district”.
The school authority, Brittania Morey, said that the district had the means to build the activities center. There is room to grow at the level of primary, middle and middle school, and several new schools that have been built in recent years and renovations and improvements that have been completed in older buildings, she said.
“This is not available to take care of our current facilities,” said Morey.
Board member Midhat Mansoor said the “price” for the activities center was “a shock”. But the district is planning “the next 30 years,” said Mansoor. “We have to think.”
The rendering of the weight room in the interior activity center of the Linn-Mar High School in the direction of the design phase after the school authority was put to the fore with the plan on April 14, 2025. The plan is estimated at $ 53.4 million. (Rendering by opn architects provided by the Linn-Mar Community School District)
What is being included in the new activities center?
The new facility will offer the students a larger weight room and expand the wrestling room in order to meet the needs of young and newly sanctioned girl-wrestling teams. It will also serve as storm accommodation to offer students, employees and visitors security.
Additional hardwood dishes alleviate the planning conflicts for athletics and PE classes. The project will also renovate changing rooms that have only received a few updates for 30 years.
Another feature of the indoor activity center is an indoor route with which the district organizes competitive indoor extensions and eliminates the need for runners in the school corridors.
The auxiliary fitness studio of the district is converted into a multi -purpose room with impact cages and lawn to support speed and mobility training, football, shot and golf.
The project includes tearing off the old tennis courts south of the high school to replace the parking spaces that are affected by adding a new facility.
Linn-Mar has around 1,400 students all year round who take part in seasonal sports. Pupils often practice and play at other district locations because the school events and activities at the high school.
Due to the current restrictions on space, students will practice basketball until 9:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. High school dishes are also used for PE, intramural activities, band practices and other activities.
The rendering of the New South entrance to the Linn-Mar High School after the addition of an indoor activity center, which after the approval of the school authority with the plan of April 14, 2025 in the direction of the design phase. The plan costs $ 53.4 million. (Rendering by opn architects provided by the Linn-Mar Community School District)
Public support for the activities center
Seven people – many of them teachers and current and former district employees – spoke on Monday during the public comments for the construction of an indoor activity center.
Erin Watts, who taught in the district for 19 years, said she saw how athletics “motivated students, not only academically, but emotionally and socially too successful”.
Watts said sport gave the students “belonging, resilience and purpose”. Today Watts' two daughters-a fifth grader and newcomers to their participation in athletics are more self-confident, compassionate people, she said.
But Watts said her youngest daughter in fifth grade had only come home after 9 p.m. in most nights until 9 p.m. “There was simply not enough space in the gym to practice training,” she said.
Izzie Watts, 15, Erin Watts' daughter, struggles for the Linn-Mar High School.
“The wrestling room and the weight room are extremely overcrowded,” said Izzie on Monday during the public comment. “During the season we can only bring the train with the train for all the sports.”
The project is part of a five -year plan
The High School Indoor Activities Center is one of the last projects of a five -year furnishing plan that was created in 2022. Projects that have been completed as part of this plan or are currently under construction belong:
- A new educational key center that opened this spring at 3556 Winslow Rd., Marion. The public is cordially invited to attend on Wednesday, April 23, with a ribbon and short comments at 4:30 a.m. The room is open to self -guided tours until 6 p.m.
- A tennis complex with eight courses next to the baseball/softball facilities on the OAK Ridge Middle School was completed last year.
- The expansion of the North parking lot at the High School, which was completed in 2023, added almost 200 parking spaces.
- The renovation work was completed in 2024 in the former Learning Resource Center, 2999 10th St., Marion. The building, which is now known as Academic Excellence Center, offers additional space for classrooms from the Linn-Mar High School and houses the project-based learning program of the district, Venture Academics and Compass Alternative Center for the 11th to 12th class.
- There is a performance in the west side of the High School and is to be completed in autumn. The capacity of the high school will expand from around 811 to 1,200 students of the auditorium.
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