Cv, EV Target Basic Needs With New Bond Proposals

Central Valley and East Valley school districts are going back to basics with their bond issue requests.

The need for more classrooms, new science and sports facilities and such nitty gritty improvements as sewer and septic work is propelling the school districts to ask voters’ approval on bond issues.

Central Valley’s bond issue request is for $23 million. If approved as expected by its board Dec. 12, East Valley’s will be for $12 million.

Both districts have trimmed their most recent bond issue requests since last year, Central Valley by more than a third. Both are working to overcome three consecutive failed bond issue elections.

West Valley School District is still discussing its needs for new or improved buildings. Freeman School District won’t ask voters to pay for new buildings or improvements this year.

All four Valley districts will separately ask voters to pass maintenance and operations levies, through which schools receive up to 20 percent of their budgets. In each case, those levies will replace current levies.

CV and Freeman will run their elections Feb. 6. EV and WV are likely to use the same date.

Here are Central Valley’s major needs:

A new elementary school at Liberty Lake. The 600-student building would cost an estimated $9.7 million and would ease crowding in other elementary schools on the east end of the district.

The district also wants to remodel Bowdish Junior High, at an estimated cost of $7.8 million. Built in 1959, the school needs roofing, plumbing, electrical and heating systems updated. Classrooms, labs and student support areas are also due to be updated.

South Pines Elementary and University High School each need about $500,000 worth of improvements, covering heating, ventilation and outdoor physical education facilities.

Central Valley also is requesting $4.8 million for work throughout the district that includes energy conservation, paving and concrete work, sewer connections and road improvements.

This year, the district has dropped any attempt to do major work on either high school. Past bond issues have floundered over controversies involving either U-Hi or Central Valley High School supporters.

Here are East Valley’s major needs:

Eight new classrooms at Skyview Elementary; East Farms Elementary would get four more classrooms. The two middle schools would receive two new classrooms each. Each school would receive between $1.2 million and $1.7 million.

Trent Elementary would undergo a total renovation inside, for an estimated $5.2 million. The school, which was built between 1944 and ‘46, has received only a socalled energy remodeling in 1979.

East Valley High School’s estimated $2.2 million in work would be divided between updating outdoor athletic facilities - the track would receive an estimated $450,000 upgrade, for instance - and expansion or upgrades for the wood and metal shops, science classrooms and creative arts area.

Officials have dumped requests for technology and improvements to the administration building from the current bond issue request.

, DataTimes