Prairie Grove Seeks Millage Increase

PRAIRIE GROVE — The Prairie Grove School District will seek a 6-mill property tax increase to build an addition to the intermediate school for primary students, a storm shelter that will double as a multi-use facility and a new high school competitive basketball gym.

The School Board unanimously voted to place the question on the Sept. 17 school election ballot. If approved, a 6-mill increase would cost Prairie Grove school taxpayers $120 a year or $10 per month on a home valued at $100,000.

“This is lots of information, lots of things we’ve been discussing, really in some ways, ever since I’ve been here,” Superintendent Allen Williams told the board June 11. “This is the night to make the decision.”

The estimated cost for the projects is $15.7 million: $7.2 million for the 40,728-square-foot primary building, $1.25 million for a storm shelter with almost 6,000 square feet and and almost $6.6 million for a new 1,400-seat varsity basketball gym with 42,160 square feet.

The district will receive almost $2.4 million in state partnership money for the primary classrooms and storm shelter and another $940,243 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the storm shelter, which also will be used as physical education space for the primary and intermediate students.

The district will have to finance more than $ 12 million for the projects. Of this, about $2 million would come from refinancing the district’s current bond issues to 30 years and $10 million from bonds backed by the 6-mill property tax increase.

An additional 6 mills would move Prairie Grove up from having the lowest school millage rate in Washington and Benton counties to tied for the sixth highest, from 36.9 mills to 42.9 mills, according to information provided to the school board at a June 4 work session.

If approved, Prairie Grove’s millage rate would be two- tenths of a mill more than Lincoln and three-tenths of a mill more than Farmington.

Prairie Grove voters last approved a millage increase in 2002 to build the new high school. Board member William Dick noted with millage rollbacks as required by state law, Prairie Grove’s rate is almost back to where it was before the 4-mill increase in 2002.

Williams said he believes the district has been “good stewards” of its money. He said a 6-mill increase would pay for the new projects and provide a little cushion in case interest rates go up this year.

Also, Williams said 6 mills would give the district the ability to complete smaller projects without having to go back to the voters for more money.

Williams said Prairie Grove is a growing district and projects to grow by 300- 400 students in the next 10 years.

Based on these growth projections, Williams said he believes a 6- mill tax increase would take care of the district’s needs for the next 10-12 years.

The school proposes to tear down the oldest sections of the primary school and add 28 classrooms to the intermediate school.

In termed ia te and primary students would share common areas, such

“We’ve been talking about it for a long time. “I feel comfortable with it.”

Shawn Shrum

Board president

as the cafeteria and library. The oldest sections of the current primary school are 50 years old and Williams said the state recommended building a new facility, instead of renovating the primary school at an estimated cost of $2 million to $3 million.

The district is facing a similar situation with the current varsity gym, Williams said. It needs additional seating, new floors, improved lighting, new heat and air systems and renovations to the dressing rooms.

To make these improvements would cost about $3 million, Williams said, noting, “still at the end of the day, you’re in a 40-yearold structure.”

He said the school could build a new varsity gym for $6 million that would last 50 years.

Board members did not make any public comments at the June 11 meeting about the millage increase but the board has had discussions about the projects for the past three years.

“We’ve been talking about it for a long time,” Shawn Shrum, board president, said after the meeting. “I feel comfortable with it.”

If the millage increase is approved, Williams said the district’s architects, Hight Jackson and Associates, would immediately begin work on drawings for the buildings.

He estimated construction would start in March 2014, with plans to be in the new buildings by the start of the 2015-16 school year.