Issues will involve building repairs, safety measures
By CHRIS RANDAZZO
of The Gazette
Residents will get a chance to vote on two more school referendum issues on April 2. The Stevens Point Area School district board approved resolutions for two referendum questions, totaling $23.4 million, when it met Monday, Feb. 11.
The first question, for $16.5 million, is for mechanical and maintenance repairs and upgrades that were recommended by the district's Facilities Advisory Committee.
The second, for $6.9 million, is the first of a five-phase plan also recommended by the Facilities Advisory Committee to deal with the district's facilities' needs. Superintendent Emery Babcock said that the second question is mainly for safety and security issues at the district's schools. Those issues include adding an additional stairway and five second-floor classrooms at Ben Franklin Junior High (totaling $754,200), and renovating the cafeteria and adding eight classrooms at Stevens Point Area Senior High School (just less than $5 million).
Babcock said the new stairwell at Ben Franklin is needed because of overcrowding on the current one. The renovation of SPASH's cafeteria would allow the district the space to close the campus.
Currently SPASH is an open campus with many students leaving the grounds for lunch. Babcock said that creates safety concerns with students crossing Division Street.
The new classrooms at SPASH would replace four rooms currently used as classrooms that weren't designed for that purpose.
Board member Mike O'Meara said that because the rooms don't have hallway access they violate the city's fire codes and are a safety hazard. "If you ever had to get out of one of those rooms with limited visibility you could have a real tragedy," he said.
The first question deals with things like repairing and upgrading heating and plumbing systems.
William Palmer, assistant superintendent - business, said that if the referendums were passed they would have no effect on the district's mill rate, which the board previously voted to freeze at $1.08 until the 2005-2006 school year. While the rate is frozen, that doesn't mean property taxes won't go up.
After that time (for the 2006-2007 school year), the mill rate would decrease to 50 cents if the first referendum question passed and to 64 cents if both questions passed. The projected mill rate if both failed was unavailable.
Palmer said the mill rate wouldn't change because the district will pay off the majority of its debt in the next five years.
The first referendum question passed unanimously with very little debate. "These are issues that are going to have to be faced at one time or another," said Babcock.
The second question passed 6-1, with only board member Elmer Fournier voting against. Fournier said that the board should take more time considering the MGT report as well as the recommendations from the Facilities Advisory Committee.
"I understand the merits of all these construction projects, but the bottom line is we are constructing 15 new classrooms. We should not dismiss the MGT report that says we have classrooms at 60 percent capacity," Fournier said.
O'Meara said that the board must act quickly because currently the state funds two-thirds of capital improvement projects but that could change when the state budget is improved because the governor's budget plan would end such funding.
"If you are thinking these projects are something we should do in the next five years, we should do them now," he said. "I don't believe we have the luxury of spending too much time."
Many board members expressed concern that the public would think the district was making a rushed decision but said that isn't the case as the Facilities Advisory Committee started meeting more than a year ago to come up with the recommendations the board is following.
"I don't think there is a rush on the decision. I think there is a rush on taking the referendum to the public," board member Jim Harmon said. "I think an informed public would support this."