Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Gresham School District officials will have to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to fix a section of their school that is more than 80 years old.
Both questions in a $9.2 referendum proposal were defeated by voters on Tuesday.
A $6 million question to demolish the old section of the school and build new high school classrooms on the east side of the building was defeated by a vote of 481-314, according to the Shawano County Clerk’s office.
The second question, seeking $3.2 million for an additional gymnasium, track and soccer facilities, and a new community weight room, fell by a larger margin, 481-314.
The larger blocks of no votes came from the towns of Herman and Red Springs. Herman voters voted 150-87 against the $6 million question and 159-78 against the $3.2 million question. Red Springs voters voted 204-122 and 213-108 against questions 1 an 2, respectively.
In the village of Gresham, the first question lost by only a slim margin, 115-100. The second question saw less sympathy as 129 voters voted no and 85 voted yes.
Andy Schmidt, Gresham School Board president, conceded defeat on both questions just before 11 p.m. Tuesday and announced the district would have to take another look at how to address its ailing infrastructure.
“Any loss, of course, is disappointing, but we still feel we have a lot of support for the school,” Schmidt said. “During the community meetings, it was clear that most people understood that something needs to be done with our aging high school.”
District officials brought the request for $9.2 million to voters in the hopes of replacing the three-story section of the school that was built in 1934 and building additional one-story sections for the high school.
In some rooms in the old section, the temperature often exceeds 80 degrees; in others, students learn with their coats on in the winter. Part of the school is also out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
If the referendum questions had been approved, the tax rate would have increased $2.07, from $10.44 to $12.51, per $1,000 of equalized valuation, which equates to $207 more annually for a $100,000 home.
At community meetings held by the district, some taxpayers questioned how much time had been spent considering all the options, such as renovating versus building. School officials said the costs to shore up the existing infrastructure would be the same as demolishing the 1934 section and building anew.
Although there was a consensus of the need, Schmidt felt voters did not understand the options to fix the school.
“The bottom line is that something needs to be done with the old high school,” Schmidt said. “We will need to reassess what the options are and possibly come back (to voters) in the fall with another question.”