Ankeny School Board Seeks Support for $15.9 Million Referendum

From an Ankeny Schools News Release

Ankeny school district voters could be asked to approve a $15.9 million bond referendum this winter to build a tenth elementary school, a savings of $2.6 million from an earlier proposal, according to a district news release.

The decision came Monday after several additional months of working with new administrators to review land options and facility design.

A petition will be circulated in support of a $15.9 million bond referendum. If the petition gains the required number of signatures, the referendum could be voted on in a Feb. 5 special election, the release said.

The petition and proposed bond referendum language are limited in scope to building, furnishing and improving the site of the district’s tenth elementary school.

The school board postponed a proposed September referendum so board members and new administrators could further review several elements of the original plan before proceeding, the release said. A new plan emerged to use existing land owned by the district, and to incorporate a more cost-effective geothermal HVAC system in the design, resulting in the savings and overall lower cost for the project.

The plan will use the same basic design as Prairie Trail Elementary, ensuring a quality school facility, the district said.

“Enrollment continues to grow rapidly, requiring the construction of another elementary school, but we did not want to rush the plan,” said Superintendent Bruce Kimpston. “The new timeline still allows us to construct the school in time for the 2014-2015 school year, but more options have now been carefully considered and we were able to reduce the projected cost of the project.”

“We wanted to ensure we were being responsible to our taxpayers and making the most of what we already had. I think the results of the extra time we took are very positive,” said board President Pat Cahill, in the release. “Our goal is to achieve a very economical solution without compromising the quality of the building. The community needs to be able to be confident we are both advancing the best plan for a needed school, and also that we are doing everything possible to maximize our resources.”

Several details of the plan are still being finalized. Pending collection of the required number of signatures, the board and administrators will then share the details of the plan to the community, including enrollment projections, tax rates, location, and the fallback plan in the event the referendum fails.