After about 40 community meetings and more than a year of studies, the Anacortes School District’s $59.8 million bond request is in the voters’ hands.

Ballots for the special election are out and district leaders are hoping all the community discussion will pay off.

“We didn’t come to this with a grandiose plan for the high school. There are truly structural issues with the facility,” said Superintendent Chris Borgen. “Ultimately the community gets the potential for a wonderful instructional facility that will see it well into the future.”

The district’s request would fund renovations at Anacortes High School and Mount Erie Elementary School and build a new district maintenance facility.

“It’s not about glamor or excess, it’s about things that need to be fixed,” said Jean Andrich, Bond Committee for Anacortes Schools co-chair.

Voters have been asked to approve a 17.5-year $59.8 million school bond.

Anacortes High School is in line for $51 million in work. Proposed upgrades include a renovation and reconfiguration of the existing school for $19.5 million, a new career and technology education wing for $23.9 million and improvements to athletic fields for $7.6 million, which includes a prefabricated stadium as well as improvements to War Memorial Field and Rice Field.

Mount Erie Elementary School is in line for $7 million in construction.

Safety issues will be addressed at the school by moving the entrance off 41st Street and reconfiguring the bus and drop-off lane. The school will receive a physical education wing and some necessary remodeling within the building will be completed.

The third part of the proposal is a $2.8 million maintenance and storage facility to replace the World War II-era building now in use.

Ballots must be postmarked by April 24. Ballots may also be dropped off on election day at the Anacortes Library, 1220 10th St., or Fidalgo Elementary School, 13590 Gibralter Road.

For the bond to pass, the district must receive a super majority with a 60 percent yes vote. In addition, turnout must equal at least 40 percent of the number of voters who participated in the last general election.

Initially, Borgen said the district got a lot of questions about the basic needs of the buildings.

“That’s what we’ve been doing ever since — really let people know what the needs are and how the bond will address them,” he said.

He said they’ve received a lot of positive comments about what the bond could accomplish.

“When people see what will happen at the high school I get a lot of positive comments,” he said. “People know they’re really community facilities.”

Borgen said district leaders listened to the community and decreased the cost while still meeting the building needs.
“We got great advice,” he said.

While the district is getting good comments on the projects, the price tag has some voters concerned. At $59.8 million, it’s the largest bond request the district has made. If the bond passes, the property tax rate will increase 49 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $1.25 per $1,000 in 2008. It will cost the owner of a $300,000 home about $147 more each year.

The Bond Committee for Anacortes Schools has been busy educating people about the bond’s costs and benefits through its doorbelling campaign, yard signs and Web site. The committee is not connected to the School District.

“We’re all volunteers who believe in this bond,” said Lucie Yeomans, committee co-chair. “Our main focus is to inform as many people as we can about the bond.”

About 50 volunteers visited about 3,500 homes on a rainy Saturday in late March to get the word out about the bond. Andrich said volunteers received very positive comments.

Committee members also put out about 100 yard signs. All the funding for signs, printed material and other items come from donations from businesses and community members.

“We really feel the support this year,” Andrich said. “We could have used more signs.”

Members have been presenting bond information to service clubs and other groups and the committee has a Web site, http://www.anacortesbond.com, with basic information for voters. The site also features a video produced by the School District outlining the building needs.

Yeomans said the video has been well-received. With children in elementary school, she rarely visits the high school.
“Most of the voters have never been in the schools either,” she said.

After touring the high school, Yeomans said many people, including herself, are surprised by conditions at the schools and the solutions teachers come up with to solve problems.

“I hope we will all agree to protect our investment,” she said.

To be fiscally prudent, Borgen said the district will start off running. If voters OK the bond, construction could start this summer.

“We’d have the ability to move that quick because of the things we have in motion,” he said.

Other Anacortes school bond articles:
Anacortes school bond would fund $23.9 million career and technology wing at high school
School bond would fund classrooms, stadium, and renovate high school library, Brodniak Hall
Synthetic turf would allow more field use at same cost, school leaders say
Bond would unsnarl traffic in Mount Erie Elementary School dropoff zone, build new gym
School bond would replace ‘woefully inadequate’ maintenance building
Q & A: School bond costs, benefits examined
Inside the Anacortes school bond
Largest bond request in county history
School survey shows respondents favor same proposal
Anacortes School District’s $62.9 million bond goes to voters