City approves vo-ag building permit

HARTINGTON — The Hartington City Council approved a building permit for Hartington-Newcastle schools Monday.

The permit is for a new Vocational/Ag building at the southeast corner of Madison Avenue and East Park Street.

The Variance Committee approved a 20-foot variance to allow the building to align with the Cedar Catholic High School and current Ag building on Park Street.

The 66’ x 114’ building will be an “attractive steel” building, according to HNS Supt. A.J. Johnson. It will also feature a pitched roof.

Neither the final design nor the cost of the 7,500 square-foot building have been determined yet, Johnson said. A few details between the architect and the Construction Manager need to be worked out before the School Board votes to send the project out for bids.

The current 4,900 square-foot ag building will be repurposed for future needs.

The lot of land where the new Vo/Ag building will be constructed already falls under R2 zoning, so the area did not need to be rezoned for the schools' intentions.

It was also mentioned at the City Council meeting that the school may put parking on the west side of Madison Ave alongside the building. This is intended to help solve a need for parking near the schools.