Proposal goes with college’s plan to use festival grounds for vehicle track
Gateway Technical College is considering using the vacant former Kmart store in Burlington’s Fox River Plaza Shopping Center for a public safety training facility.
Gateway’s Bill Whyte, vice president of human resources and facilities, told the Burlington Standard Press this week that college officials are considering leasing the store space in the wake of Gateway’s failed $49 million building referendum in April.
Included in the referendum was a proposal to spend nearly $16 million on a public safety career training building and emergency vehicle training track – likely in the Burlington area.
By leasing the former Kmart, Gateway would be able to address what it sees as a growing need for public safety career training without having to construct a new facility on the taxpayer’s dime.
Whyte told the Standard Press Tuesday that while officials were investigating their options regarding the Kmart building, they hit on the idea of a vehicle training track at the nearby ChocolateFest grounds (see separate story here).
“We needed to combine those two facilities in our plan,” Whyte said.
Both proposals – the leasing of the former Kmart and the emergency vehicle training course – went to Gateway’s board for preliminary consideration Thursday morning.
Burlington Mayor Bob Miller said he has a favorable view of the vehicle training course proposal. If done properly, he said, it could generate additional business for local merchants, and address the needs of the college.
The proposal would also help the viability of ChocolateFest – which would lease the training course property to Gateway. Such an arrangement could create a regular revenue stream for the city’s marquee festival, which currently relies only on proceeds from the Memorial Day weekend event.
In addition, by placing classrooms and other training spaces in the former Kmart, Gateway would address a major building vacancy that has plagued the city since Kmart closed two years ago.
Gateway currently operates the HERO Center in Burlington in a building adjacent to Burlington High School. Gateway leases that building from the Burlington Area School District.
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I was at the Gateway Board meeting on Thursday. The lease agreement would be just for the cost of improvements to the Chocolatefest Grounds and use of the restrooms. No “regular revenue” was mentioned. Please keep in mind the want to put this track in a residential area, within 20ft of my house. I am pleading with community to voice your concerns with City, County and State Officials. Do not misunderstand me Gateway moving into the Kmart building would be great for the city. There is no place for the EVOC track in a residential area! Gateway is trying to down play the noise that would be generated. I invite you to go to YouTube and search for EVOC videos. Determine for yourself if you would like engine noise, sirens, back-up horns, tires screeching and PA announcements all day long within feet of your home or business.