McKINNEY – Voters will get a chance to determine the future of a $220 million bond package for McKinney ISD when they go to the polls in May.
The Board of Trustees voted to approve a 2016 bond package during its meeting on Thursday.
One of the hot items in the bond package is a new, $50 million multi-purpose event center and stadium that would be built along Hardin Boulevard and McKinney Ranch Parkway.
Some neighbors say they are concerned the proposed stadium could become a nuisance.
"It's a Catch-22,” Kay Impiccini said. She and her family live in the nearby Eldorado Point subdivision. “You know, we can have a big monstrosity stadium that’s new, or we can have low budget apartments."
The 12,000-seat stadium was a hot topic that had several community members speaking out in support and against the bond proposal.
"Now is the time to build a new stadium and event center complex,” said one woman, who claimed her feeling about the bond package changed after becoming educated on the issues.
Bond supporters argued the district’s current athletics facility is inadequate for the community’s growing needs. Ron Poe Stadium is 62-years old, according to the superintendent.
"We've got three high schools trying to use the same facility for multiple sports," the woman said.
Critics argued a new stadium could bring about traffic problems, bright lights, and too much noise.
Parent David O’Conner argued the stadium’s price tag is way too much.
“That's what you are voting for -- to be the biggest spenders in Texas history," O’Conner told the trustees. "You could have done so many other things with that money."
In addition to the proposed stadium, the 2016 bond package would include security tools for police, a variety of building upgrades across campuses, and purchasing land for future schools.
The McKinney ISD Trustees voted to accept the bond package, after several speeches addressing how the proposed improvements would help the district stay competitive.
