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If Bond Passes WOS Will Get New Field Turf And More!

KFDM COOP

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KFDM COOP

KFDM COOP

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WO-C to seek bond for new school, improvements

By Tommy Mann Jr.

The Orange Leader

The West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District announced plans Tuesday to seek a bond election in November.

If recommendations meet approval by the school district’s Board of Trustees, the district will ask voter approval of a $51.99 million bond election on Nov. 6 for a new elementary school, building additions, and renovation of existing facilities, including the high school football, baseball and softball stadiums.

“Modern, up-to-date school buildings are a focal point of a community,†said Dr. O. Taylor Collins, West Orange-Cove CISD superintendent. “We believe the time has come to build a new school and renew those that already exist.â€

The biggest piece of the bond proposal is for the construction of a new elementary school which would house students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The projected cost, including construction, a new site and technology is listed at more than $29.8 million.

A meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss recommendations by the longterm facilities committee, as well as possible construction and the proposed bond election.

A committee meeting will then be scheduled for 6 p.m., Aug. 20 to allow the school board to hear comments from the public on the proposed bond election.

The Board of Trustees could possibly call for the bond election at the Aug. 27 school board meeting, which would be before the deadline of Sept. 4.

A new addition at West Orange-Stark Middle School, estimated at more than $7.6 million, would include construction, canopies, drives and updated technology additions.

More than $4.3 million in additions and renovations is proposed for West Orange-Stark High School, including construction and site preparation and technology items.

“Safety is a big factor in many of the renovations of the middle school and high school,†Collins said. “Schools weren’t built with that in mind back then. We would like to see each campus have one common entrance where no one could reach any part of the school without entering in that one location.â€

Collins said the bond issue is being proposed “for the kids and for the future.â€

“The children and youth of Orange, Pinehurst and West Orange need and deserve modern school facilities,†Collins said. “Most of the structures built in the district are very old, except for Anderson Elementary. Now, if we can get approval of the voters, we can build for the future.â€

After Collins’ arrival at WO-C CISD in 2005, a team of evaluators led by Dr. Janiece Buck and Dr. Eddie Dean of Lamar University conducted a facilities study.

The study evaluated the conditions of Bancroft and Oates Elementaries as instructional facilities.

Collins convened a long term planning committee, consisting of 25 members in September 2005, to examine the educational facility needs within the district. The study was completed in early July.

According to Collins, the committee report recommended a bond issue, “given the need for modern, safe, state-of-the-art instructional facilities for all students.â€

Collins said the Board of Trustees has proposed reducing property taxes for maintenance and operations within the school district from $1.50 per $100 valuation since the 2005-2006 school year to $1.04 per $100 valuation for the 2007-2008 school year.

Eventually, to help cover bond costs, the district will look to recover 19 cents in the Interest and Sinking tax rate to “provide modern facilities†for its students over the next 25 to 30 years.

If a house is appraised at $30,000, then the taxable value would be $15,000 after the district’s residential homestead exemption of $15,000 is applied, meaning this homeowner would pay an additional $29.01 in taxes per year once the interest and sinking tax rate is increased, presumably in the 2008-2009 school year. The current interest and sinking rate is $0.0944 per $100 valuation.

A house valued at $100,000 is taxed at $85,000 after the residential homestead exemption, which would mean a tax increase of $164.40 per year once the full amount is included.

“The are a lot of details which still need to be worked out between now and November, but the committee agreed the time is now for this bond issue,†said Harry Barclay, WO-C CISD Board of Trustees president. “We are trying to give our students the proper facilities to succeed. The bond issue has a lot of improvements all around the district, and I think the community will appreciate it.â€

Also included in the proposed bond issue are more than $3.9 million in renovations at Dan R. Hooks Stadium on the West Orange-Stark High School campus, which will include new turf on the field, new home and visitor seating, toilet facilities, new fencing and a chair lift for the press box.

The high school baseball stadium will see more than $1.3 million in renovations to the dugouts and press box, batting tunnels, new lighting, new fencing and windscreen and additional bleachers.

The high school softball stadium is projected to receive more than $1 million in renovations with the newly proposed bond issue to areas such as the covered seating, equipment storage building, additions to the dugout and locker room, sound system and new fencing.

The administration building is seeking to increase space too and will seek $2.6 million in additions.

One special portion of the proposed bond issue which Collins seems especially pleased about is the renovation of the antiquated Carl Godwin Auditorium, which is located on Western Avenue with the old intermediate campus.

More than $1.1 million has been slated for the renovations of the auditorium.

“We would like to renovate the auditorium to be used as a dramatic facility,†Collins said. “Our students would be able to see dramatic presentations, plus assemblies and even musical presentations. It would not only meet a tremendous academic need, but also serve the community.â€

Collins also said if the proposed bond issue is considered and passes election, the North Early Learning Center which houses children in the Head Start and Pre-kindergarten programs, could be relocated to Anderson Elementary, as those students would move to the new elementary school. The plan is for the new elementary school to house all the district’s Kindergarten through fifth-grade students.

The district will attempt to sell both remaining older elementaries, Bancroft and Oates, if possible. Otherwise, both campuses could be slated for demolition.

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I think in the last few years we paid off the last bonds. There is no LCM merger talk. That will have to come from the State and who knows when they will make that decision. I just want us to make a decision and stick to it. We spent a ton of money on our old Middle school and now we don't use it. We spent alot of money on Bancroft and now we don't use it either.

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GUNHO

GUNHO

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[

Also included in the proposed bond issue are more than $3.9 million in renovations at Dan R. Hooks Stadium on the West Orange-Stark High School campus, which will include new turf on the field, new home and visitor seating, toilet facilities, new fencing and a chair lift for the press box.

New home and visitor seating.What is that? Exspanding or some type of new seat besides just concrete?Can't see them needing to enlarge.

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