Solon residents indicate support for school’s proposed $25.5 million bond referendum

SOLON — Residents in the Solon Community School District indicated strong support for a $25.5 million bond referendum this spring, which would fund improvements to an elementary school, expansion of its intermediate school and build a multipurpose indoor activity center.

A survey conducted by the district found that 81 percent of parents and 73 percent of general citizens would support a general obligation bond at the polls.

A bond requires 60 percent majority vote to pass.

The bond referendum could be taken to voters as early as March 7, and would not increase property taxes, Superintendent Davis Eidahl said in an interview with The Gazette. The district’s current tax rate of $16.28 per $1,000 of taxable valuation would be unchanged if voters approve the bond.

Facilities master plan committee member Denny Gruber, a retired teacher from Solon schools, coach and longtime community member, said the district is expecting an additional 25 to 50 students a year.

“We need more classroom space,” Gruber said. The district currently has about five sections of classrooms per grade and could quickly grow it to seven, he said.

Jared Kilburg, a real estate agent with four kids in the district, said there are 400 to 500 housing units planned over the next 10 years in the school district.

“My wife and I are very involved parents,” Kilburg said. “We moved here to have that small community feel.”

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The 1,091 people who responded to the survey included school district employees, parents of school-aged children, agricultural landowners and commercial property owners.

A citizen group is collecting signatures to petition the school board to put a general obligation bond on the ballot in March to address a plan to begin the next phase of projects in the school district’s master facility plan, per Iowa Code.

The signatures will be presented to the school board later this month. At least 25 percent of the number of voters who voted in the last election of school officials must sign the petition for the school board to set the time, date and place of the election.

The district’s first priority if the bond is passed is to update Lakeview Elementary School, which was built in 1966 and is in need of upgrades to major building systems including electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation.

Other projects at Lakeview Elementary would include updating the gym floor and replacing the bleachers, adding energy-efficient lighting, repainting classrooms, renovating the library for group collaboration and replacing worn playground equipment. This project could cost up to $7 million.

The bond would pave the way to expand Solon Intermediate School, a project that estimated to cost between $9 to $10 million. It includes seven general education classrooms, one special education classroom, one project-based learning room and a gym. The intermediate school was built in 2017 and designed for an additional wing to be added when necessary.

The bond also would include renovating a former truck stop — purchased by the district on the north edge of town — in to a transportation center with covered space for bus parking for $650,000. This would help extend the life of district-owned buses and reduce the amount of time drivers spend prepping buses in the winter months.

Another major proposal under the bond is building a multipurpose indoor activity facility with turf flooring that could be used for baseball, softball, soccer, golf, marching band, archery and other activities. The middle school property would be a potential site for the $4 million project.

Finally, the bond would provide funds to replace the 12-year-old turf field at Spartan Stadium for $800,000. The district has saved money from not having to water or mow the field for the last 12 years, according to school officials.

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