Last night the City Council voted to approve the Planned Unit Development(PUD) for Central Elementary and the attached lots that make up the site plan.
They tabled the Payment In Lieu Of Taxes(PILOT) in order to study it further.
What does that mean?
1. We still submit on time for the first grant cycle on October 3rd.
2. We enter the grant cycle at 116 points, which is higher than the 112 point average of successful grant applications. This is also 1 point higher than the 115 we had originally estimated to be the maximum number of points available with a PILOT in place, which is VERY good news.
We had several parents, business leaders, staff, students and Board members present to advocate for this comprehensive revitalization project. Special thanks go out to them for being so articulate in supporting a vision that holds the key to a new future for IMPS and the City.
While we would have liked to see the PILOT approved, it can still be approved in the coming months as Council members wrap their heads around the complex formulas used in the model and justify the results to all stakeholder groups.
We will let the process take its course, knowing that we are entering the first grant cycle in better shape than we at first thought would be possible.
Thanks to everyone for their support and Go Mountaineers!
Raphael Rittenhouse
Superintendent