The City of Galesburg is choosing an old junior high school as the site of the new proposed community center. The City Council voted at it’s December 5th meeting to select the George Churchill Junior High School, which was closed by the district in 2019 as part of its facilities plan. The total projected cost for converting the Churchill site is more than seven-million-dollars.
The development of a community center has been discussed by the city council for a period of time, and the events leading up to this decision are outlined below.
In June 2013, the City Council voted in favor of selling the Community Center, then located at 150 E. Simmons Street, for the creation of Iron Spike restaurant. An agreement was entered into in April 2015 for community center services to be provided by the Boys and Girls Club at the Carver Center; however, a fire in 2016 destroyed the Carver Center.
At the November 2, 2021, City Council work session, a memo was provided and discussed by the City Council regarding estimated operating expenses and possible uses of the former Churchill building as a potential community center. At the November 15, 2021, City Council meeting, the City Council voted in favor of hiring Farnsworth Group to provide a code study of the former Churchill Junior High building and determine estimates of costs for bringing the building into compliance with all building codes.
On November 29, 2021, the Galesburg City Council toured the Churchill building to get a general sense of its layout, space, and condition. This was a Galesburg City Council meeting and was therefore publicly noticed and open to the public.
At the March 21, 2022, City Council meeting, the City Council voted in favor (four yes and three no) of directing City Administration to acquire the Churchill property. Subsequently, the ordinance to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Galesburg Community School District 205 to acquire Churchill Junior High at no cost, was presented to City Council at the April 18, 2022, City Council meeting for first reading. The April 18th council agenda also provided a resolution for consideration, which would place the advisory question “Should the City of Galesburg spend between $5 million and $10 million to convert the former Churchill Middle School into a community/activity center?” on the ballot of the next election in Galesburg. However, this resolution did not pass (three yes, four no).
On April 28, 2022, Council Members White and Smith-Esters held an open house at Churchill for the public to walk through the building and provide comments. Members of the Youth Commission participated and helped give tours, with approximately 45 citizens attending the event.
On May 2, 2022, the City Council voted in favor of the intergovernmental agreement with Galesburg Community School District 205 to acquire Churchill Junior High at no cost. Since that time, the City Council approved an agreement with Farnsworth Group for evaluation of alternative locations and options for the Community Center. The results of that evaluation were provided to City Council at the September 26, 2022, City Council work session and can be found on the city’s website.
In June 2022, the City Council also toured the Rock Island Fitness and Activity Center and Rock Island Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center to learn more about community centers in other communities. The City Council also considered a resolution at the November 21, 2022, City Council meeting to hold a Community Center Public Hearing to gather public input on the location for the proposed community center; however, that resolution did not pass.
The City Council agenda for Monday, December 5th includes an item for voting on the former Churchill Junior High as the location for the proposed community center, and the agenda and supporting information can be viewed on the city’s website.
***Courtesy of the City of Galesburg and TTWN Media Networks Inc***
