On Tuesday, March 2nd, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Plainview School voters will be given the opportunity to vote on a bond issue.
The proposed bond issue is based on the recommendation from the Facility Review Committee composed of school patrons, school personnel, and a board member. Their recommendation to the Board of Education was based on the results of a facilities and capital needs survey conducted in the fall of 2009. The survey was completed by employees of the district, high school students, parents, and patrons.
The Facility Review Committee felt very strongly about meeting the needs of our school to maintain quality and felt that any proposal must not raise taxes.
For this reason, the bond issue is in the amount of $975,000. The bonds will be sold as old bonds are paid off to keep the tax millage rate impact to the patrons from increasing. The first series will be sold on June 30, 2010. Again, this will not raise taxes for Plainview School patrons.
The proposed projects include replacing twenty-two year old heating and air conditioning units at the intermediate elementary. Units will also be replaced in the elementary library and cafeteria. Life expectancy of these 1988 HVAC units is about fifteen years.
Since these units are beyond their normal life expectancy, the heat exchangers for these units are in need of replacement. The cost to replace a heat exchanger is about half the cost of a new unit. As Lee Moore, maintenance supervisor, explained, “The older the units get and the heat exchangers begin to fail; there is an increasing risk of carbon monoxide leaking which can cause health issues for the kids and staff.”
When one factors the long term upkeep with safety issues for these old HVAC units, it is evident it is in the best interest of the district to replace these old units as soon as possible.
The bond will also allow for updating district-wide technology needs which are continuously changing. At the intermediate elementary and the high school, the vinyl tile will be replaced due to delaminating and will include the hallways, corridors, and cafeterias.
The east end of the middle school parking lot will be replaced because of deterioration which will ensure safe driving conditions for school and other vehicles. Another component of the bond issue is installing a six foot security fence for the safety of our primary elementary students. A proposed restroom/ concession facility will be located at the softball complex. This will provide much needed additional restroom facilities for girls’ softball games as well as for the visitors to football games.
The decisions for the bond proposal were entirely left to the facility review committee. I feel they did an outstanding job in reviewing the proposed needs and then prioritizing those needs before making their recommendation to the Board of Education. The committee felt under the current economic conditions that the issue be small, not raise taxes and pay off rapidly. I was impressed with the conservative approach of the Facility Review Committee.
Julie Altom is the interim superintendent of Plainview Schools.
