Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Millage Will Be Sought

There will be a millage issue on the Sept. 14 School Election.

The Prescott School Board, in its regular monthly meeting, Tuesday, June 15, agreed to seek a three mill increase in property taxes to improve the existing school buildings and build a new gymnasium.

The millage, should it pass, will have a 25-year payoff, instead of a 20-year payoff. This, Superintendent Ron Wright said, is because the extra time will help the district raise more money to insure all the work is done. However, he said, the bond agreement will be structured to allow for early payments should the district not need the extra funds.

As Wright pointed out, the board has been meeting twice a month for the past eight or nine months to set the directions for the district. In addition, a public meeting was held to see what area residents want to do about upgrading the facilities.

"We want to ask for enough millage to get the job done," he said.

Three mill for 25 years will generate approximately $3.265 million. Wright said the first million dollars will be dedicated to getting the upgrades done at the three school buildings, before work begins on a new gym.

Jim Franks, a member of the board, said by structuring the bonds for pre-payment, though this sometimes requires paying more interest on the front end.

Still, he said, the worst thing the board and district could do is pass a millage, end up short of money and have to borrow it from somewhere else to get the projects finished.

This, Franks said, would cause the board to lose credibility with the public and could result in serious problems in the future.

"I think the average patron," Wright said, "is concerned with the millage increase and not the length of time involved. We need to generate the money we need and set it up so we can prepay early.

"I don't think we ought to ask for more millage."

The board agreed and adopted the measure to seek a 3 mill increase for 25 years. This, if the millage issue passes, will raise the districts millage from 29.1 to 32.1.

Representatives from the David French and Associates Architect Firm of Hot Springs were on hands to discuss construction plans with the board.

Rico Harris said the firm has been gathering data on similar projects to get an idea of what Prescott's proposed construction will cost. He said construction is currently costing $70 to $75 per square foot.

A building 20,000 square feet, he said, will cost about $1.5 million. But, Harris continued, this may not allow the district to get everything it wants in a new gym.

Harris and David French discussed other districts having recently built new gyms, talking about the amenities they had and what they cost to build.

Danville's, they said, is the closest in scope to what Prescott wants. It has a seating capacity of 1,200, concession stand, restrooms, locker rooms under the bleachers, a coach's office and classrooms. The only thing missing is a field house.

The board discussed the possibility of using the existing gym as a field house for the football team, and using the current field house for storage and visiting teams.

Wright said the district could refurbish some existing classrooms and improve the lab in the old gym to help cut costs somewhat.

Harris reminded the panel the bidding climate at the time the projects are let for bid can affect the overall cost. If construction crews are busy, the bids will be higher than if the building trade is slow.

He suggested getting local bidders when and where possible. Local builders, he said, usually give better prices and do a better quality job.

French said it would be advisable to expect a 5 percent inflation on the contract price.

In other business, the board was told the NCA report came back favorable. This report is done every five years when the COE is done.

The NCA once again accredited all schools in the district.

Prescott High School Principal Steve Britton had two courses added to the honors list geography and computerized accounting.

He said the students in the computerized accounting class deserve for it to be an honors course.

These additions bring the total number of honors classes to 18. Students can choose 10 of these during their academic careers.

As the meeting wound down, the board approved the transfer in of a student from Blevins. This child will start the first grade in the fall.

There will be a driver's education program at PHS soon. David Maxwell, one of the coaches, has been working to get certified in this area at Henderson State University.

Classes, Wright said, can begin in July. Those students successfully completing Driver's Ed can get lower insurance rates.

Wright said the district has an arrangement with an auto dealer for a vehicle for the course.

Indications are the Coca Cola Company will be footing at least part of the bill for a new press box at the football field.

Wright said two representatives from Coke came down and looked into the project, giving preliminary indications the company will help out.