Colton School District requests $5.6 million bond

In April, Colton School District will ask voters to approve a $5.6 million, 30-year bond to improve the infrastructure and security of their 74-year-old school.

For six years the district has worked to pass a bond to renovate the K-12 school, the last effort was made in 2011 and failed by only nine votes. April 23 will be their third attempt.

"We've been at this quite a while," said Superintendent Nate Smith. "It's been a long and interesting journey, and everything points toward a real need for modernization and upgrades for our school to remain competitive."

Virtually all of the school's infrastructure would be redone if the bond passes, updating the vintage plumbing and electrical systems as well as an inefficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

Colton received an energy efficiency grant in spring 2011, allowing them to replace their boiler. However, while the new boiler is making steam at a much reduced cost, it is still running the steam through outdated piping that leaks and creates holes in the walls.

The electrical system, also from 1939, is currently at capacity, meaning they cannot add any more outlets, making technology upgrades nearly impossible.

"In my classroom there are only three outlets in the entire room," said agriculture teacher Nathan Moore. The agriculture building Moore teaches in was built 40 years ago and intended to be temporary. "When things were built in the '50s and '60s, there weren't a lot of outlets for projectors and document cameras."

The lack of outlets forces teachers to use a lot of extension cords and power strips, which becomes cumbersome in a classroom with almost 30 students.

While the plumbing system has not had any significant issues, Smith said it is only a matter of time.

"We have to do something, we have to fix our infrastructure, so one way or another we're going to have to get these things done," he said.

Another issue Smith said cannot wait - security.

The district had a security risk assessment done in February, which found a number of inadequacies in the school's safety - especially the entrances.

"Right now, our main entry is a mess," Smith said.

The main entry to the school is split between two floors and is not located next to an office, meaning administration has no way of monitoring who comes into the building. There are also currently nine entrances to the building, which are left unlocked as students need to leave to attend classes in another building. The bond would allow the school to redesign the main entry so people coming in would check in with the front desk and all other doors would be locked. The bond would also fund an intercom system for safety purposes as well.

The immediate need for improved safety at the school is Smith's biggest concern if the bond does not pass. His second biggest concern is the potential cost to taxpayers down the road.

Currently, interest rates are at a 40 year low, construction costs are cheap and the bidding climate is very competitive, Smith said. In addition, if voters do not approve a bond measure, the state will not provide matching funds for the renovations. If they wait to approve a bond measure years from now, state matching funds will likely go down.

The total cost of the project was cut since the attempt to pass a bond in 2011, but the local burden increased because state matching funds decreased. This year, the total project cost is $9.83 million and the state will provide about $4.2 million.

The district was able to reduce taxpayer costs from $2.67 per $1,000 assessed value to $2.20 per $1,000. They accomplished this by eliminating aspects of the renovation such as paved parking areas, landscape improvements, a new boiler and wall tear-downs.

"We've really been trying to get these renovations for a while, and we think this time we've got a pretty solid bond most people will agree with," said Tony Bonuccelli, the school's music director.

Other projects for the modernization project include classroom remodels, upgrading kitchen appliances and storage, adding two small locker rooms, remodeling old locker rooms, improving gym access and safety and establishing a parking area. The school currently has no clear parking lot, resulting in double- and triple-parking on game nights.

"Great communities have great schools, and it's time for our schools to modernize so we can continue to be competitive into the future," Smith said.

Estelle Gwinn can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 301, or by email to egwinn@dnews.com.