New Rockford school project approved

Voters in New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School District, N.D., approved a 20-year bond for structural repairs and air quality improvements Tuesday in a special election.

Of the 540 voters who turned out, 357 voted yes and 183 voted no, for a 66 percent approval on the one-question ballot that required at least 60 percent to pass, said Jill Louters, superintendent of New Rockford-Sheyenne School District. The voting totals will not be official until the next regular School Board meeting on Oct. 23, she said.

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“For a typical School Board election we may see 40 or 50 voters, so this is a wonderful turnout,” she said.

The $3.26 million in general obligation bonds will be used to make repairs to the 62-year-old school that serves approximately 315 prekindergarten through 12th-grade students in Eddy County and from portions of Foster, Wells and Benson counties.

The bond will add an additional 14.17 mills to the regular school district operating levy, according to the ballot. That is an annual tax increase of around $63.77 for every $100,000 of taxable value for a residential home and a $70.85 increase for a commercial or agricultural property, Louters said.

The three-month project will be completed in the summer of 2018, she said. The School Board will also soon decide on whether project responsibility and coordination with the construction company will remain with a building committee or with the full board, she said.

The work will include a new ventilation system for improved air exchange and prevention of allergens and dampness in the building, Louters said. The work also involves exterior walls, windows, heating, conditioning, electrical upgrades, sidewalk repairs and accessibility updates, she said.

The 66,000-square-foot, 29-classroom school building was built in 1955. A larger gymnasium was added in 1966 and building modifications occurred in 2009 and 2012.

John McKnight, chair of the New Rockford-Sheyenne School Board, said prior to the election that the project updates long neglected repairs and improvements. A complete repair will last 20 or more years, and the financing will be less than planning several smaller repair projects over time, he said.

Once completed the lower cost of utilities will likely pay for itself in the long term, McKnight said.

Tribune Content Agency
School bonds Infrastructure North Dakota
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