2 days ago
Matthews approves agreement with CMS board to construct Discovery Place on elementary campus
MATTHEWS, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The agreement became official Monday night that will place a Discovery Place Kids museum on an elementary school campus.
Matthews' Board of Commissioners approved a joint-use agreement and memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education for the property where Matthews Elementary School currently stands on South Trade Street. Through the 2023 $2.5 billion bond, the school will be rebuilt behind the current building with the museum under the same roof.
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The land where the school sits will be turned into a park, and under a land-swap, the school board will acquire parkland along McKee Road.
The unanimous vote came on Town Manager Becky Hawke's final meeting before she departs for the same position in Wilmington. Commissioner Ken McCool suggested one of the roads in the project's vicinity should honor her.
'This is an incredibly exciting chapter in Matthews,' he said. 'I'm going to lobby as a citizen. I believe as this is built, that one of the streets leading up to it should be named for Mrs. Hawke. This would've never come to fruition without her leadership. She needs to be honored for that.'
After being questioned by Commissioner Mark Tofano, Town Attorney Daniel Peterson noted that the MOU was in fact different from a legally binding contract.
'To that sense it does not bind the town on every decision point ahead, it just means we cannot actively frustrate the purpose of the memorandum of understanding.'
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