URBANA -- County board members gave preliminary approval Tuesday to issuing $2.4 million in tax-free industrial revenue bonds for Countryside School in Champaign, but again slowed down the controversial and long-running Olympian Drive project.

In a voice vote, only Champaign Democrat Giraldo Rosales voted against the bond issue for Countryside.

The bonds will be used to help finance a proposed $4.5 million, 13,000-square-foot gymnasium/performance arts stage for the private, not-for-profit school at 4301 W. Kirby Ave. Champaign County also issued industrial revenue bonds to help finance Countryside's original construction in 1997.

Kurt Froelich, Champaign County's bond counsel, told board members that although the county will issue the bonds, their repayment would not be the county's obligation.

The school has an enrollment of 148 K-8 students.

The county board will take a final vote on the bond issue at its regular monthly meeting on April 21. A public hearing on the bond issue will be held before that meeting at 6:45 p.m.

The board also deferred action on a proposed intergovernmental agreement with the cities of Urbana and Champaign for design, construction and maintenance of the Olympian Drive/North Lincoln Avenue project north of Champaign-Urbana. The Urbana City Council, meeting in a committee study session Monday night, OK'd the agreement.

But county board members voiced several concerns about the draft agreement Tuesday night. They suggested removing a sentence fragment that mentioned "Olympian Drive between Cunningham Avenue (U.S. 45) and Duncan Road." Several board members noted that the county board had not signed onto construction of Olympian east of Lincoln Avenue.

And they expressed concern about which government would be responsible for eminent domain, if litigation is needed to acquire property for the project. Urbana officials have said they would cover the cost of any litigation, according to county board Chairman C. Pius Weibel.

The board voted to defer voting on the Olympian Drive portion of the project until next week's full board meeting after county attorneys have reviewed the agreement and modified it based on board members' concerns.

And a vote on the Lincoln Avenue part of the agreement was deferred until next month.

In other action, the board approved an agreement to have the county nursing home repay an outstanding loan of more than $330,000 to the county's general fund. Under the repayment plan, the nursing home would pay the county $12,000 a year beginning this year, and each year evaluate whether it could make an additional payment.

And the board gave unanimous approval to the appointment of Aaron Esry to replace Greg Knott on the county board. Esry was nominated by Republican Party committeemen last month. Knott resigned from the county board to run for the Parkland College Board of Trustees. He was elected last week.