LUCAS — Voters in the Lucas Local School District will decide the fate of a $30.1 million bond issue Nov. 8.
If approved, the 37-year, 12-mill bond issue would cost taxpayers $420 per year for every $100,000 of property value.
The issue would help fund a new, $38.2 million K-12 school building. The district is eligible for $8.2 million in additional funding from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission if voters approve the tax.
According to the local committee Our Kids Our School, the new facility would include 23 classrooms, a 10,000-square-foot competition gym, a life skills lab, an agricultural education lab, two art rooms, an industrial tech classroom, a music room and a computer lab.
The bond issue is the second attempt by the district to raise funds for a new school building. Voters rejected a $27 million bond issue during the May primary election.
The bond issue failed by a margin of 126 votes, according to official vote totals from the Richland County Board of Elections. With 49.6 percent of eligible voters participating, the issue was defeated, 639-513, with 55.47 percent opposing it.
Supt. Brad Herman said the $3 million increase on the general election ballot is due to updated costs associated with the project.
“There were some adjustments in there for inflationary costs and bond-interest rates,” Herman said.
Lucas currently has three separate school buildings. Lucas High School was built in 1918, with additions following in 1938 and 1958. The elementary school building was constructed in 1956 and renovated in 1963. The middle school was constructed in 1979.
According to Our Kids Our School, the estimated total cost to replace and abate the old facilities is $38.2 million. This figure includes an estimated allowance of approximately $11 million for locally funded initiatives.
Meanwhile, the calculated cost to maintain and renovate the district’s existing buildings is $36.3 million. Proponents of the bond issue argue that long-term renovation costs could increase due to inflation.
For more information, check out our previous reporting:
