LAKEVILLE — Union-North School Corp. officials have earned the right to take their proposed $19.6 facility plan downstate for approval.

Marshall County Clerk Julie Fox confirmed Friday that the school corporation has won a remonstrance battle against a group opposed to the plan.

Of the nearly 3,100 valid signatures collected by both sides in Union and North townships in both St. Joseph and Marshall counties, 1,781 were in favor of the plan. There were 1,313 valid signatures against it, Fox said.

All real property owners and registered voters living in the two townships were eligible to sign the petitions. The petition drive spanned from late February to March 24.

County auditors and voter registration offices in both counties verified the results.

Union-North wants to build a new, 83,600-square-foot intermediate school directly east of the current LaVille Elementary School. The intermediate school would serve students in grades five through eight.

The current elementary building serves students in grades kindergarten through six. The current LaVille Jr.-Sr. High School serves students in grades seven through 12.

The Union-North school board plans to vote on a contract with Hebard & Hebard Architects Inc., of South Bend, on Tuesday to proceed with the schematic design phase of the building project.

Now that the remonstrance phase is complete, the corporation must secure approval for financing of the project from the Department of Local Government Finance.

That process starts with a hearing in front of the state’s School Property Tax Control Board.

That board will then forward the issue to DLGF Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave with either a favorable or unfavorable recommendation.

Musgrave will have the final say on the matter.