New Cda Middle School Passing Lakeland Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Levy To Raise $18,000 For Activity Buses

With some votes still uncounted late Tuesday, Coeur d’Alene School District residents were on their way to approving construction of a third middle school.

“It’s looking pretty good,” said Superintendent of Schools Doug Creswell.

With eight of 15 polling places reporting, 63 percent of ballots cast were “yes” votes. A 55 percent majority was needed for approval.

Voter turnout was good, school officials said.

The $9.5 million supplemental levy was meant to relieve overcrowding.

Results weren’t in for the district’s only contested election for school board, between Herb Cheeley and incumbent Jane Curtis.

Results were final in the Lakeland School District, where voters approved a supplemental levy to raise $18,000 for activity buses. Of the 615 votes cast, 75 percent supported the measure. A simple majority was needed.

Also at Lakeland, Joyce Nowacki defeated incumbent George Riffle Jr. for the Zone 4 board of trustees seat.

In Zone 5, William Reese and incumbent Don Soltman tied with 74 votes apiece. The board of trustees will toss a coin on Thursday to decide who wins. Barry Dallenbach got 17 votes.

In Coeur d’Alene, plans call for the third middle school to be built and paid for in two years.

The existing middle schools, Lakes and Canfield, each have 200 to 300 more students than they were designed to hold.

Passage of the levy means the owner of a $110,000 home would pay $117 per year in additional property taxes.

The district has twice failed to win approval of bond issues to build the school. Bonds take longer to pay off and require that interest be paid. They also require a two-thirds majority vote.

The new school will house 750 students. It will be built on Kathleen Avenue near Ramsey Road, and will open in the fall of 1998.

Lakes Middle School, a high school building dating to 1952, was built for 838 students and now has 1,030. It uses four portable classrooms.

Canfield Middle school was built in 1975 for 838 students; it houses 1,095, thanks to 12 portable classrooms.

There was no organized opposition to Tuesday’s levy.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: RESULTS ON CITYLINE Final results in Coeur d’Alene School District levy election were not available late Tuesday. For complete results, call Cityline at 765-8811, ext. 9865. Callers must use a Touch-Tone phone.