Troy plans new schools after election approval
State will contribute $45M to $154M multi-year project.
TROY — Troy City Schools leaders are excited by voter approval Nov. 7 of a bond issue to build four new schools and update the high school, but also realize they have a lot of work to do, said Superintendent Chris Piper.
“We are so very thankful to have the support of our community, which will allow us to build new elementary buildings and update our high school,” he said. “We are excited for the positive impact this will have on student learning and on our community as a whole.”
District voters approved a 4.66-mill bond issue for 37 years and an accompanying 2.3-mill tax levy for 29 years with 53.7 percent voting in favor and 46.3 percent voting against, according to unofficial totals from the Miami County Board of Elections. The elections board will conduct an official count Nov. 21.
The tax funding, paired with money from the state, will be used to construct three buildings for preschool through fourth grade, while the other building would house grades five and six.
The four new buildings would replace seven aging buildings that now house those grades.
A “loose target” for the beginning of construction is summer of 2025, Piper said. Site work could begin sooner on the sites that do not currently have a school building, he said.
More information on timelines will be determined once the district begins working further with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission on the project, Piper said.
“We look forward to working with architects, construction managers, staff and stakeholder committees over the next few months and years as we design and build new schools that serve generations of students to come. We will work to ensure this process is transparent and well communicated and that the final products are cost-effective and built to last,” he said.
Among the projects at the high school would be updating HVAC systems, adding air conditioning and making electrical and other needed improvements. That building was constructed in 1959 with an addition and renovations in 2006.
The two tax requests appeared on the ballot as one issue. The cost to a taxpayer with a home value of $100,000 will be $244 a year combined, according to the Miami County Auditor’s Office.
The total cost of the projects is estimated to be $154 million, according to Jeff Price, district treasurer.
The district was notified this spring by the OFCC that it was eligible this year for $45.6 million in state program funding for a project.
A district building steering committee formed earlier this year to help review options stepped up its work to help prepare for the project proposal yet this year. The proposal is for the preKfourth grade buildings to be located at the Cookson elementary and Hook elementary school sites, along with a site at Ohio 718 and McKaig Avenue. The location of the building for grades 5-6 is property the district owns on Swailes Road.
The plan proposed is similar to the one put before voters three years ago, which failed, with some changes made in response to community feedback, Ben Poeppelman of the bond issue committee said before the vote. He was not available for comment Thursday.