The Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) requests Council approve a Contract Amendment between the City and Pro-Vision Inc to the increase the amount of the senior loan and revise the project site plan. HCDD provided $2,800,000.00 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to acquire three parcels of land and construct a 40,500-square-foot multi-purpose gymnasium. The land acquisition was complete in April 2016. There are no additional CDBG funds being added to this project.
The new gymnasium will be constructed on Pro-Vision’s site at 4590 Wilmington Street and will provide Pro-Vision’s campus with six additional classrooms, a basketball court, a stage to be utilized by the students and the community and a workout facility for student athletes. The additional classrooms will enable Pro-Vision to serve an additional 75 students annually and lower its teacher-student ratio from 1:30 to 1:25. The gymnasium will offer After School Programs, Job Enterprise Program, Manhood Development Program, classrooms for The Pro-Vision Academy High School and Middle School, and an Urban Farm. Additional elements of the expansion will create a detention pond and add parking.
The senior loan is being increased from $3.2 million to $4 million to cover a gap in the construction budget, and as bridge financing for their capital campaign. The site plan is being revised to reflect a change in the location of the gymnasium, which will now be located in closer proximity to the current campus. The 2011 Grant Agreement for the construction of a library and computer lab space on the current campus will be amended to provide for construction of the gymnasium.
Pro-Vision construction is anticipated to begin in December 2017.
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Tom McCasland, Director