By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
The message out of the Colonel Crawford community meeting Tuesday evening is that the school district is that much closer to getting new high school facilities. The question still remains just how big the additional wing will actually be.
“Things are starting to finalize,” Superintendent Todd Martin said.
The situation boils down to basically two scenarios. Under Resolution 1, the state would give the district was what promised from the initial plan when the elementary and middle schools were constructed. This would mean an expansion of 15,817 square feet, and add nine classrooms to the current building. The tech, Vo/Ag, art, and music departments would remain at the current high school. A few classrooms in the 6-8 grade wing would be used for high school classes.
The cost of this expansion would be $6,449,280, of which the district would owe $31,014. They are receiving a $14,323,834 credit from the original construction. This would bring the total cost of the project to $20,804,128.
Scenario 2 is if the updated tangible personal property tax language is approved in Columbus. This would qualify Colonel Crawford for four additional high school classrooms, and some money would actually be returned to the district. Officials say $584,427 would be given back to help pay down the bond share. The outcome of this decision will not be known until July at the earliest, and possibly as late as August.
The classrooms are the only portion being co-funded by the state, “The gym is all on us,” Martin said.
A poll was conducted of the community to see who wanted a new, bigger gym, and who was ok using the current gym. Seventy percent of the surveys returned were in favor of building a new gym.
The new gym would be 94-feet-by-50-feet of playing surface, and seat 1212 people. The current gymnasium seats 1200.
The cost off this project would be $3,591,115. Funds for the gym need to be generated by a local bond of about 1.2 mils. This would mean $55 per year for a home valued at $100,000.
For the building project to go forward, the state requires an operating levy of .5 mils to be passed by the district. This would equate to $15 per year per $100,000. Martin stated that enough inside millage could be moved around to satisfy this requirement from the state, yet keep real taxes from going up.
The two levies will be on the November ballot separately, but the operating levy is a requirement for the state money to be released.
If all goes well the district can begin taking bids in August with an eye toward breaking ground in the spring. The demolitions of the retired school buildings at North Robinson, Sulphur Springs and Whetstone could begin before that.