BOND ISSUE Signs will be popping up to tout new school plan

The board lauded the high school wrestling team.
NORTH JACKSON -- It won't be long before motorists will start seeing large signs near some of the township's intersections boosting a May 3 bond issue.
The Jackson-Milton Board of Education hopes the 15 4-by-4-foot signs will remind residents about the 5.4-mill bond issue, whose passage would generate money toward a new Jackson-Milton Middle School/High School.
In addition to the large signs, 300 yard signs have been ordered "to get the word out" about the bond issue, Superintendent Buck Palmer said at Thursday's board meeting.
The new $12.5 million, 90,500-square-foot facility is slated to be built on part of 103 acres the district bought between Mahoning Avenue and Interstate 76 adjacent to the elementary school, 14110 Mahoning Ave. The one-story building, which could be finished in 2008, will have a 459-pupil capacity.
The facility would replace the middle school/high school, built in 1913. That structure needs numerous costly repairs and renovations; other problems include some antiquated equipment and several safety issues, Palmer noted.
In preparation for the May 3 vote, a JM Facilities Committee recently formed to generate support of the bond issue. The committee meets at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at the high school. For more information about the levy committee, log on to www.newjmschools.com
Wrestlers honored
In other business, the board praised the high school's wrestling team for its accomplishments this year. The Division III team finished 15-0 in dual meets, including four tournament victories, for its best record in about 30 years, board member Mitch Mascioli said. Five wrestlers qualified for this year's state tournament.
The team placed first in the sectionals, third in the district and 16th in the state, Mascioli said.
Senior Nick Dierkes holds the district's all-time win record, 138, and was Division III state runner-up this year and last. He is scheduled to compete in a national high school tournament April 2 in Cleveland.