Board of trustees approves expenditures for five-year plan
BY TERRY SMITH
The Blaine County School District Board of Trustees has approved spending funds from its plant facilities levy to pay for a five-year maintenance plan.
The amount to be used was not specified but was estimated at about $3 million. In a plan proposal submitted to the board, district Buildings and Grounds Director Howard Royal wrote that the plan will be in a “constant state of flux as new items enter into the scope.”
Approval to use levy funds for the plan came from the school board at its regular monthly meeting on April 19. The vote was 4-0. Trustee Rob Clayton was not present.
Approval of the measure was recommended to the board by the district’s Finance Committee, which consists of district officials and members of the public.
The plant facilities levy, approved by Blaine County voters in 2009, provides for collecting $59.8 million in property taxes over a 10-year period for building improvements, energy system replacements and technology and security upgrades.
The levy also provided about $14 million for a new district elementary school. That money has not yet been spent or committed because student enrollment numbers have been mainly steady over the past several years.
Using plant facilities funding for a five-year maintenance plan is not specified in the language of the levy proposal as put to the voters; however, the proposal does mention “maintenance” as a possible use for the money.
Royal wrote in his five-year maintenance proposal that items needing repairs or replacement include roofs, heating systems, carpet and flooring. Specific roofing sections that need to be addressed are at Carey School and at Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum. Heating system repair or replacement needs are at Wood River Middle School.
The proposal also states that safety improvements are also required at some facilities by the Idaho Department of Building Safety and the Hailey Fire Department. The proposal also mentions the need for irrigation improvements, athletic track resurfacing and surface repairs at the Wood River High School tennis courts.
Further school board approval will be required if contracts are to be awarded for the work.