Galesburg City Council heads into a work session Monday and should vote by July on the potential renovation of the old National Guard Armory.
Yesterday, Mayor John Pritchard spoke out against the current funding source that would likely be used on the project–utility-tax dollars.
Pritchard says the tax, that went into effect last July, should be solely earmarked for crumbling infrastructure needs to fix city streets, sewers and sidewalks.
“If the street goes into a greater degree of disrepair, then the cost to renovate the street goes up dramatically,” Pritchard says. “The longer we wait, the more the cost goes up, it doesn’t go away.”
The mayor adds the armory project is still relatively “unknown,” and that a building study did not conclude the viable need for a conference center.
“The building really doesn’t lend itself to becoming redeveloped and to becoming a competitive conference center,” Pritchard says. “Also, that conference center has got to be attached to a hotel and we don’t have one down there yet that would be appropriate.”
A proposal to convert the facility into a community center, recreation center, event center or likely a combination of the options would be decided upon.
Pritchard says he feels there are plenty of facilities in town that could harbor those needs already.