Anamosa school bond narrowly wins voter approval

Voters in the Anamosa Community School District approved a nearly $17 million bond issue Tuesday night by literally just a handful of votes. In fact, if 13 missing absentee ballots had all come back as “no” votes, the bond issue would have failed.

The vote reported Tuesday was 781 yes and 508 no. That's 60.6 percent in favor, or just above the 60 percent supermajority needed to pass.

But school officials soon learned three of those missing absentee ballots belonged to voters who actually went to the polls to vote. So even if other missing absentees ballots come in as “no” votes by the mail deadline, it won't change the results. And while that prompted some celebration among school supporters on Wednesday, there was also a sigh of relief because the outcome was so close.

The margin was so narrow Tuesday night that school board member Kris Kilburg called her adult son to see if he had returned his absentee ballot. Kilburg said her son hadn't-and had felt a little guilty until she told him that it actually didn't matter.

“I reassured him it was OK,” Kilburg said.

It was OK because Kilburg's son was one of the 13 original missing absentee votes. Eliminating just that one missing ballot was enough to statistically guarantee that the bond vote would wind up with the 60 percent needed.

Anamosa voters had twice turned down a replacement for an aging middle school until the district came up with a financing plan that didn't require a bond vote. So board members were prepared to fail and mount another effort later.

School board member Shaun Lambertsen said it was a narrow victory, but a victory nonetheless.

“If anybody had missed one little step along the way, it would have a different outcome,” Lambertsen said.

Students at Anamosa High School on Wednesday were looking forward to the improvements. Athletes will get a separate practice gym. Theater and music students won't have to travel across town to use the current auditorium at West Middle School. Demolition on that now unused building will begin this summer.

One student, Junior Kaylee DeSotel, said a lot of students were pulling for the referendum even if they couldn't personally go to the polls.

“I was disappointed I couldn't vote because I really wanted it to pass. But I'm not old enough, so I'm happy it passed,” DeSotel said.

DeSotel's only regret now is she'll probably graduate before the big improvements are ready to use. The district plans to add air conditioning to all the high school classrooms and do some of the small projects fairly quickly. But big projects like the performing arts and gym additions probably won't open before the fall of 2015.