Bluford Unit District 318 plans to build a roughly $6.9 million new high school addition with a groundbreaking expected in August.
An estimated $4.7 million of the project cost will come from a state construction grant. The school district will be responsible for the remaining $2.2 million.
The Bluford Board of Education previously approved issuing bonds to fund the local share, which will result in a property tax increase for district residents. Estimates are the increase will be $34.13 on a $50,000 house or $87 on a $100,000 house. It's unclear if the tax increase will take effect this year or next year.
Bluford Co-Interim Superintendent John Ashby said the school board was permitted by law to issue the health life safety bonds without a referendum.
Ashby said the new school will help the district honor the foundations of the past while reaching toward a "great future." The hope is it will improve the learning environment for students and encourage more families to move to Bluford.
"We don't want to lose the past," Ashby said. "We want to keep what we can of that, as well as go forward from that. The community, I think, will benefit from a new building and renewed growth in the community is expected."
Following a consolidation on July 1, 2015, both Webber High School and Bluford Grade School have operated out of the grade school building instead of two separate facilities. The new high school project will involve building an addition onto the east end of the grade school.
Last September, the former Webber Township High School building was condemned as per a recommendation by the Illinois State Board of Education because of mold and structural problems.
Ashby said rehabilitating the former building is not feasible because it would cost more than $11 million and there is no state money to pay for it.
The state construction grant for the new high school addition requires that the district demolish and recycle the old Webber building. The current plan for the site is to locate an athletic facility or field there, Ashby said.
Bluford Village President Michael Bullard said losing the former high school is a tough pill to swallow but the new addition should be a great benefit.
"You guys have grown up in that building," Bullard said of the former school. "But I want to ask you to take a look at this new building and with your own mind open your heart and you ask yourself, 'is that the direction we want to go?' And I believe you'll say yes. ... I think this is a fantastic community that deserves nothing but the best."
After a planned groundbreaking in August, the roughly 30,000-square-foot new high school addition should take about 16 to 18 months to complete, depending on weather and other factors.
The new facility will have poured 8-inch concrete walls, polished concrete floors, technology capabilities, and a state-of-the-art science lab, Ashby said. There will also be an agricultural shop on the south side with an optional bid for a greenhouse, a computer and media lab, and a gym eligible for regional tournaments.
"This setting, I think, will provide the students with a high school identity," Ashby said. "I know that's one of the drawbacks here, it's not a separate high school, and this will make it such."
District officials revealed the plans for the new high school at an informational meeting Thursday.
Officials did not take questions from the audience but those in attendance were given a chance to view the plans and designs for the new addition. The audience was encouraged to contact the superintendents with any questions.
School Board President Travis Cameron said the new high school project represents an exciting step forward for the district.
"A lot of hard work, tough decisions, and collaborative effort with many individuals have made all this possible," Cameron said. "So once it's complete, I truly believe that we will be able to provide multiple multiple students, multiple multiple children, and everyone in the community a great opportunity with a new addition."
