Published: July 01, 2009 10:03 am      

School bond issue passes

Central DeWitt voters approve $13.9 million bond proposal

DEWITT — More than 38 percent of the registered voters in the Central Community School District gave a resounding approval to a $13.9 million bond proposal which was one part of a $27 million plan to improve learning facilities for all levels of students.

A little more than 73 percent voted “yes” on the bond, giving the district more than the 60 percent needed to pass. This was the eighth attempt since 1996 to approve a school bond issue. The previous seven attempts failed.

The local option sales tax, sometimes called “state penny” is expected to bring $10.5 million to the project and a local group, STAR (Saber Team for Arts and Recreation), has a goal of raising $4.6 million in gifts, grants and in-kind contributions.

STAR workers had raised $1.4 million in pledges, from the city of DeWitt, Genesis Medical Center of DeWitt, DeWitt Area Foundation, Central Education Foundation, athletic boosters, music boosters and Sabertooth Wrestlers.

Then on the eve of the election, First Central State Bank announced a $300,000 donation toward the new competition gymnasium, in honor of Neil Padgett, a basketball coach at Central DeWitt for 30 years. Brig and Abe Tubbs, brothers who are co-presidents of the bank, had played basketball under Padgett and went on to play collegiate basketball.

“Coach was a decent, hard-working educator who had a positive influence for many years on countless students. Those of us who had the honor of playing for him were a part of something very special,” the Tubbs brothers said. “Given all the time coach Padgett spent in the Central gym, it is fitting the new basketball court will bear his name.”

Of the 6,565 registered voters in the district, 2,510 voted in the election held Tuesday. Of those who went to the polls, 818 said “yes” and 418 said “no.” Of those who voted absentee, the split amounted to 1,030 “yes” and 244 “no.”

Central DeWitt’s Superintendent, Dan Peterson, published answers to more than 50 questions about the project, including:

• When will construction start? Construction on the east wing, for athletics and fine arts will start in the spring of 2010. The complex will house the high school band room, chorus room, weight room and wrestling room, so their present areas can be remodeled for other needs.

The complex will include an 800-seat auditorium and a 1,600-seat competition gym, with an auxiliary community gym to serve residents of the area.

Construction on the Career & Technical Education wing on the south end of the high school also will start in the spring of 2010. It is anticipated construction of the middle school wing will start in the spring of 2011. The architect has indicated the move of grades 4 and 5 from Ekstrand Elementary School into the intermediate area would start during the 2012-2013 school year.

• Will there be air conditioning?

All new construction will feature geothermal heating and cooling. Air conditioning for the older parts of the building will not happen immediately. The intention is air conditioning, whether it is geothermal or not, would be put into place in the older high school classrooms once the new additions are complete, using state penny revenues.