Local School Asks Taxpayers for Help
By
Christen Drew
By
Jared Roberts
Story Created:
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:36 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Jan 30, 2012 at 3:38 PM CDT
WOODLAWN-- A local school plagued by costly repairs is asking taxpayers for help. People in Woodlawn will vote in March on a property tax hike. The money would cover the cost of recent work to fix the roof of Woodlawn High School.
Over the summer a custodian noticed a sagging ceiling at Woodlawn High School. Superintendent Alan Estes says trusses were treated with a flame retardant material in the 70's that made the wood deteriorate rapidly.
"The truss inspector said it's dangerous; don't let anybody go in there. After that we knew we had some big trouble," says Estes.
Insurance refused to pay, so the school took out a loan to fix the roof.
"They took the whole top off and they took all the ceiling components out which include intercom, internet, wiring and phone," he says.
Five classrooms, two bathrooms and the custodial closet were all affected. That wing of the school looks brand new. Not only did the entire roof and ceiling have to be replaced, but so did the floor.
"They thought that if they could keep the water off often enough, for long enough, it wouldn't affect it. But the glue started deteriorating and the tiles started popping and cracking," says Estes.
Those tiles contained asbestos, which had to be removed. Classes were held in other locations like the gym and cafeteria.
"Actually I had two classes in my office," he says.
Now that the work is finished and students are back in the classroom, the community is being asked to foot the bill through higher property taxes.
"We really do need it without causing a negative impact on the educational delivery to the students," says Steve Danner on the referendum committee.
Danner says the owner of a $100,000 home would see a $73 increase on their property taxes.
"It's a cheap price to pay so that the students are safe," he says.
Danner knows it's a bad time to be asking for money but says he's not worried about which way the voters will go.
"The people will vote for what is best and vote their conscience," he says.
Two public informational meetings will be held to discuss the proposed referendum. Those are on February 21st and March 12th both at the high school at 7 p.m.
