Supporters of a $70 million potential building project in the Spirit Lake School District are working to obtain signatures by next week to place the matter as a school bond issue measure.
If that petition gets support via 150 signatures by August 26, the issue will be voted on in the November general election.
The Spirit Lake School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to pursue renovating current buildings, or adding new additions, at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The meeting was solely devoted to discussing facilities.
School officials asserted that the current condition of the buildings is not sufficient for modern learning, or to keep them operating in a functional manner. A projected cost of $28 million has been shared for work on the elementary building, and $24 million on the high school.
According to KCAU News, Superintendent David Smith said, “We have major infrastructure that needs to be replaced. If we don’t, you could be on the verge of parts of your building not functioning.”
This was the second Spirit Lake School Board meeting in 10 days on the facilities topic. School officials have been looking at facility needs for three years.
Chris Murphy, of Spirit Lake, told Siouxland Public Media News the project is moving too fast. Murphy said an independent analysis of the school infrastructure should be pursued, beyond the prior firm that was used.
A proposed athletic field house, or bubble, costing $13 million has been dropped from the overall proposal.
