Milan City and School Projects Move Forward

There are nearly 20 acres belonging to nestled
behind the high school which once belonged in . As of
Monday, they are located in the .

Milan City Council was obligated to vote to approve the move at its meeting
Monday as part of a P.A. 425 land use agreement with the schools and
Milan Township. The school district plans to use the property to build
its new bus garage later in the summer. It marks the second phase of
the $49 million bond issue voters approved in February, 2009, which
will include also a second athletic field, a concession stand, and
some work to level off the land, Milan Area Schools Superintendent Bryan
Girbach said.

"It was more of a procedural item, as the true negotiations took place
in 2002 when the original agreement to bring the school property into
the city was signed," said City Administrator Benjamin Swayze.

The school district requested the city annex the property so it can
access city services, primarily police protection and water/sewer
service. The township does not have a municipal water/sewer system,
and are patrolled by the Sheriff.

City Council also discussed the Riverside Redevelopment Project at its
meeting. The city is pursuing $3.1 million dollars in low-interest
loans from the USDA rural development program for the project,
which includes replacing the water main infrastructure, drainage
improvements, sanitary sewer rehabilitation and road reconstruction,
all within the city right of way for the Riverside Subdivision. The
area is bounded by Platt Road and Main Street. The project streets and
utilities slated for improvement include: Everett, Iva, Argyle Court,
Argyle Crescent, Bodley and St. Louis Streets, for an approximate
5,700 feet in length.

"We are hoping the project will begin in early June, but it is heavily
dependent on the pace at which the USDA moves through the process,"
Swayze said. "Just for a frame of reference, we started this process
in late 2009, so it hasn’t exactly been quick."