The Monroe County Community School Corporation and the City of Bloomington are in negotiations to organize a property exchange that would allow for the construction of a replacement facility for Fairview Elementary School. The city would take control of the Fairview building for its own purposes, and in exchange would hand over a portion of Reverend Ernie Butler Park on 9th Street for MCCSC to build a new school. Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan calls the talks “preliminary but very positive.”
Kruzan admits that the practical short-comings that plague the Fairview building would continue to be problematic under the city’s ownership. He says city administration is studying what expense would be involved in bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Kruzan says public comment will be particularly essential for this project as it moves forward. Kruzan says the extent to which the property exchange could be considered a literal “trade” will hinge on pending appraisals and on applicable state law. MCCSC officials say they would hope to begin construction on a new school by January of 2009.
