The City of Vandalia and the Vandalia School Board are working on a partnership that would see an expanded Okaw Area Vocational Center located on City of Vandalia Property.
Vandalia Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jennifer Garrison along with the entire Vandalia School Board were on hand for the Vandalia City Council meeting last night. Dr. Garrison, Board President Joe Lawson and Board member Kevin Satterthwaite spoke about the many success stories from the Okaw program for the area, the continued growth of the programs and the need for more room to expand the programs further down the road. But, the current Okaw building has no more room to expand. So, Dr. Garrison said they were looking at the possibility of purchasing existing buildings, but they found they were not available. So, the option of locating this 15 acre project on part of the City of Vandalia’s 120 acres of property at the west interchange was born. The new Okaw facility would be 60,000 square feet with the possibility of later expansion and would be located in the far southeastern corner of the city’s property. Mayor Rick Gottman stated he is 100% behind this plan and that it would be a major benefit for the entire region. After some continued discussion the Vandalia City Council unanimously approved to move forward with the project. City Attorney Ryan Connor said the City has the authority to move forward with the transfer of the real estate and would make that official in the future. Dr. Garrison said following the vote by the city council that this is a big step in the project.
And, she says the need for vocational education and added programs just continues to grow.
Mayor Gottman says he is behind the project and feels this is a major step forward.
Mayor Gottman mentioned that Alderman Andy Lester had also been working on the project as he is head of the Building and Grounds Committee. Mayor Gottman also said it has been a true team effort to get the project to this point. We will have more on this project coming up tomorrow.
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