Saturday, March 23, 2013
By THOMAS M. LYDEN
COLUMBIANA
During a special meeting, the Columbiana school board unanimously adopted a resolution clarifying how the proceeds would be spent if voters approve the 1.23-mill, $4 million bond issue in May.
Though the ballot language mentions improving extracurricular facilities, the board’s first priority will be renovations at South Side Middle School. Then, if there is any extra money, the board does not intend to spend it without further discussion and public input, according to the resolution passed this week.
However, once the leaky roof and other renovations at the middle school are addressed, there likely will be no bond money left, board member Mark Hutson said.
The resolution comes as the school board, along with the Columbiana Building Excellence Committee, a volunteer group supporting the bond issue, try to respond to voters’ rejection of an identical bond issue last August.
One reason voters defeated the issue in August may have been uncertainties about where the money would go. Before the August vote, there were rumors that the funds were going to be spent on an athletic facility. Therefore, to avoid any misinformation, the board has clarified that improving South Side Middle School would come first.
Another reason voters rejected the issue in August may have been a lack of voter awareness. There was no treasurer for the summer campaign so there were no yard signs, no brochures and no advertising outside of social media.
New committee co-chairmen Richard Hura and Daniella Clancy, both of whom have children in the school district, are vowing that this campaign will be different.
Clancy, who also is acting as treasurer, has set up an account, the Columbiana Building Excellence Fund, to which anyone can donate money at any Huntington Bank. The fund already has raised more than $3,000 in two weeks.
The committee, which has more than 40 members, is focusing its efforts on educating the public about the need for repairs at South Side Middle School. They are planning to canvass neighborhoods, distribute brochures, have presentations and hand out yard signs. In fact, 163 homes already have requested yard signs, Clancy said.
On Friday, the committee will have an “Easter Egg Extravaganza” at 6 p.m. at South Side Middle School. The event is free and open to the public. There will be a musical performance by the fifth-grade class, carnival games, face painting, pictures with the Easter bunny and an egg hunt. There also will be a voter-registration booth with information about the bond issue. The purpose of the event is to bring people inside South Side Middle School so they can see first-hand the need for improvements.
The committee also will give a presentation at the city council meeting April 2. Expected to speak at the meeting are South Side Middle School eighth-graders Jacob Clark and Marina Merlo. The students will give their perspective on the conditions of the middle school, including accounts of daily power outages and significant air-quality concerns, which are related to the leaky roof.
Volunteers are optimistic that the bond issue will be successful this time. “We believe that if most people were properly informed, they would be for this levy,” Hura said.
If the bond issue passes, for homes valued at $50,000, property taxes would increase $18.83 per year — totaling $546.07 over the 29-year term of the bond — according to Columbiana County Auditor Nancy Milliken.
Needed improvements at the middle school include replacing the leaky roof, installing a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system and renovating the floors, ceilings, walls, counters and bookshelves.