It only took a few seconds for members of the Pauls Valley, Okla., Board of Education to give their official blessing earlier this week to setting a spring date for the next local school bond election.
The date is April 3 for round three of PV's school elections as two others in 2017 received a majority of votes but fell short of the supermajority mark of 60 percent.
What the school board voted on at the Jan. 17 meeting was a resolution that simply asks for the election.
That document also lists out the numbers for the specific projects with this bond issue.
Two of them were on the ballot during last year's elections — a new elementary school to house prekindergarten through the third grade and a new band building.
Others include a classroom addition for agriculture education and improvements to the high school gym.
What's not decided yet is the exact location of the proposed new school.
Two sites on either side of West Grant, also known as state Highway 19, appear to be the potential spots as a final selection is for now on hold.
Superintendent Mike Martin says a study just getting underway will play a big part in which of the two will be the final choice.
"They're doing a traffic study right now. Hopefully that will be done in February, March at the latest," Martin said.
"Then we'll have a good idea of which site will be the best one."
The most recent site being considered is a strip of land running north and south, around 40 acres in all, on the south side of West Grant between Ace Hardware and a set of self storage units.
The other is 15 acres on the north side just beyond the West Grant "curve" over a levee and just east of the local Church of Christ.
Plans are for Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials to conduct an engineer's study to look closer at traffic on West Grant and what's needed for safe access to both sites.
- The total for this bond issue comes to just over $23.6 million in a series spread out over 18 years.
With financing and other costs factored in, it's estimated around $15.5 million in actual funds would be available to complete the bond projects.
Similar to last year's two issues, this one includes an initial increase of 16 1/2 percent to property taxes in the PV School District.
The election resolution does list out projects for the issue and the funding that comes with them.
- $20.44 million for a new elementary school with safe room.
- $1.935 million for a new band building.
- $415,000 for improvements to the high school gym, including heat and air conditioning, ceiling work and partial seating.
- $425,000 for an agriculture education classroom.
- $400,000 to acquire land.
