AVON, Ohio – Voters in Avon will have their say on a planned $90 million bond issue to rebuild the city’s schools in next month’s election.
The plan on the ballot paper is for a 37-year bond which if passed would see the district’s six existing school buildings reduced to four.
At the heart of the scheme is a $50.5 million brand new elementary school for grades three to five, alongside a $29.5 million new athletics complex including an indoor facility with a synthetic turf field, basketball courts and baseball field, $5.3 million for locker and weights rooms at the high school, $3 million for a bus garage and $1.7 million for renovations at Heritage.
It is estimated that if the issue passes successfully it would add $11.60 a month for every $100,000 of home value to the householder’s tax bill.
Superintendent Ben Hodge said: “We have buildings that are 60 or 70 years old that we want to do away with and tear down. Our teachers and students deserve better learning spaces.”
“We are going to reduce six properties to four, which will reduce utility bills that cost more in older buildings. Only one building currently has air conditioning. The new buildings will be safer as we want one way in and out as we want security for students that, is a concern for me.”
“When you can reduce buildings and share resources amongst a bigger building it costs less. “
The plans would also see the Board of Education vacate its existing offices, the former Village school, and move into the Heritage campus, with both the offices and the East campus sold. The existing Avon Early Learning Center would also be demolished when the new elementary school is completed.
The plan has been developed taking into account changes in student numbers over the past decade and predicting the next decade’s demand for school places.
Hodge said it is important to act now as building materials have been increasing in costs rapidly. “Materials have gone up 40 percent in the last four years. I don’t want to be in a situation where we do not hit the sweet spot. We told our community we have been operating well so this is a bond issue which will save operating dollars by not fixing broken buildings, which means we won’t have to ask for operating money for a long time.”
He noted Avon Lake has a proposed levy for $170 million on next month’s ballot and recently Nort Ridgeville passed a $143 million levy, and North Olmsted a $53 million levy.
