Washington to vote on fate of future middle school

People in Washington will head to the polls to determine what to do with the current high school building on Tuesday.  Voters are being asked to approve a $9.5 million bond issue, which would fund improvements to the district's current high school and future middle school.

"The 1918 building has served the district well for 100 years," said Superintendent Mike Jorgensen.  "It's just the mechanical, the boiler and everything, they're very inefficient."

Jorgensen said no matter what students will move to the new high school ahead of the 2012-13 school year.  The current high school will become the middle school.  If the vote doesn't pass, Jorgensen said it'll be the students who will pay the price.

"It's just not going to be a nice and energy efficient, it's just not well heated in the winter, and not cooled in the warm weather," said Jorgensen.

If approved, the bond issue would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $82 in taxes a year.  The owner of a 300 acre farm would face $442 in increased taxes.

"I am more optimistic now than I was a week or so ago, but it is what it is, and the community has to decide what they want with the building,"said Jorgensen.

Voters in Washington has not successfully approved a bond issue since 1962.