Committee formed for Weathersfield issues

By Mary Smith

MINERAL RIDGE — The committee formed to get voters to approve Weathersfield school district’s borrowing $8.4 million for a building project will have its major fundraiser March 7 at the Fifth Season Banquet Center, state Route 46.

The doors will open at 6 p.m. for the reverse raffle and dinner-dance. Dinner will be at 6:15 p.m. The House Band will provide music for dancing from 9 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $30 each for a chance to win $1,000. Local businesses and restaurants have also donated items for a silent auction.

If voters approve the 6.4-mill bond issue and the 1.6-mill continuous levy, the schools would borrow $8.4 million through the bond sale, which would be paid off over 28 years.

Joshua Garris, co-chairman of the bond issue committee, told the school board the committee met with MS Consultants of Youngstown this week and will be meeting next week to start filling in committees for the bond issue.

The board approved placing the bond issue and levy on the May 5 ballot at a special meeting Feb. 4. The levy will raise an additional $131,739 annually.

The state’s share of the building project, 60 percent, would be $17 million to raze most of the current middle school and add onto Seaborn Elementary School on Niles-Carver Road, making it a K-8 building.

Garris said the state would not fund middle school renovations.

“With student body enrollment projections, the state would only allow us two campuses, the Seaborn building and the high school,” he said.

Garris said the state would not even give the district a figure for the cost of renovation of the middle school, originally built in 1929, and added onto twice, first with the gym and then with the multistorage bus garages.

Plans are to raze all but the bus garages, which will continue to be used, and the auditorium and gymnasium, which are to be used as a community center. The building project committee is operating under the logo: “Rams Are Best! — Building Excellent Schools Together.”

Other members of the committee are David Rouan, co-chairman; Bill Holland, treasurer; and David Rummel, secretary.

The board Wednesday approved purchase of a new, 71-passenger bus to be ordered this year and received and paid for in 2010. The bus from Myers Equipment of Canfield will cost $70,577. Schools Superintendent Michael Hanshaw said the bus will replace a 22-year-old vehicle that is still in use. The board last purchased a new bus two years ago.