Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

What are these people talking about and why are they talking the way they are now? What is the board holding out on us? Wasn?’t the most recent levy for $37 or $38 MILLION for two elementary schools? Now these two new proposed schools will only cost the taxpayers a little over $32 Million and they are using the same plans for both schools. Wow what a novel idea. It has only been suggested on this site for 5 years or so. That taxpayers have rejected the board?’s proposal the last two year and now this levy according to Lisa Reade will save $1,428,000. I see around $5 Million being saved from previous proposals by the board. What am I missing?

FOLKS THIS IS FUZZY MATH AT ITS FINEST!!

Board eyes 2.3-mill issue on May ballot

By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF

The Pickerington Local School District Board of Education will move forward with a resolution to proceed with a $36 million, 2.3-mill, 28-year bond issue during its next meeting Feb. 13, district treasurer Vince Utterback said Monday.

The resolution to proceed follows unanimous approval of a resolution of necessity during a special session Jan. 23. The Fairfield County auditor set the millage based on the district's resolution of need.

The focus will be on the construction of two new elementary schools, one at Sycamore Creek, at an estimated cost of a little less than $15.8 million.

Construction of the second elementary school is estimated at a cost of a little more than $16.3 million, according to information from the district.

According to board President Lisa Reade, the focus will be on identical plans for each elementary school.

''By not adding the new preschool space to either elementary school, we have the the ability to use the same blueprint for both schools -- this saves in both time and money,'' Reade said.

''We have left $300,000 in the projected levy to instead renovate the maintenance area at Heritage (Elementary and Middle School),'' Reade said.

''That will give the district two to three additional classrooms, and the ability to have the flexibility to house elementary children or move the preschool back to Heritage,'' Reade said.

''It also lowers the needs of the levy by $1,428,000,'' Reade said.

''We believe we will be able to locate the district's maintenance facility at the transportation site being built on the North campus.''

The transportation center does not jeopardize the site dedicated to educational space and was included in the original building plans but not constructed at the time the North campus was built, Reade said.

''This is the only thing (the Board) is looking at right now,'' Utterback said.

The next regular board of education meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 13 in Heritage Elementary and Middle School, 100 East St.

It's Like This

The previous levy requests included several other items like buying land for future building and remodeling and upgrading a couple of the older elementary schools.

By Any Mouse

Renovations???

Any Mouse you have to be a school board member to understand that dribble.

So you are saying the school board padded their request to the taxpayers by about $5 Million for school renovations.

Since you are so informed and you can read school boardisums what exactly were there proposed renovations and why are they now not necessary?

Did we read the same article?

First sentence of the article states a $36M, 2.3 mill levy. It sounded to me when I read the article that reworking how they were doing the preschool space let them lower the levy dollars to not increase the total with the inflation of pushing out building again. Last week in the Times Sun it outlined some of the permanent improvements outlined at other buildings. One was a roof for Central - I had to ask Chuck Kemper because the article stated they were replacing the Central ''road'' - not roof. It also indicated additional renovations at Tiger Stadium, some phone & fire alarm upgrades at a few schools and some other things I can't remember.

I believe had the levy been kept the same as last time it would have been between $37 - $38M and by reducing the preschool piece they could lower what they were asking for by $1,428,000.

Maybe I've got it wrong but that's how I read it.


By Central Parent