Home Message
District OR-1 School bond vote is Tuesday, November 4
On November 4, the District OR-1 Board of Education will ask the public to approve a bond issue totaling $12.4 million. Voting “for” would provide the money needed to:
- Expand and renovate the Bennet Elementary School ($3.4 million)
- Expand and renovate the Palmyra Grades 7-12 School ($7.5 million)
- Build a track and a new football field north of the city park in Palmyra ($1.5 million)
We encouraged the community to share feedback on several options for improvements at public meetings in June, July and August. The district also offered an interactive online forum where people could view plans, share opinions and respond to other people’s opinions. We believe we have arrived at a plan that meets current and future needs, and reflects the preferences of our community.
Additional informational meetings will be held:
- 7 p.m. September 29, Palmyra Junior-Senior school
- 7 p.m. October 20, Bennet Elementary
School tours will be available after the meetings.
Summary: What will be improved, and why?
Bennet: The need for more space was the primary reason for improvements at Bennet Elementary. Our community has consistent enrollment growth at the PK-4 level and the school needs more space. In addition, bringing the preschool into the elementary school will improve safety for these students, and new entrances will improve security for the whole school.
Palmyra: The need to address aging facilities was the primary reason to upgrade the Palmyra School. This project would demolish the 1935 portion of the school, which was in need of life safety, ADA, air quality, and HVAC improvements. Building three new classrooms to the east allows us to organize the school more efficiently (grouping career classes) as well as expand the commons area, and improve the security of the entrance.
In addition, heavy demands on the school gym demonstrated the need for a second gymnasium. The gym is often scheduled from early in the morning until very late at night. This new gym would be built on the site of the 1930s wing. The new gym also would feature a performance stage, backstage, storage, and a new music room/green room to enhance the music and theater programs.
Athletics Complex: Our architects and engineers determined that improving the track and football field adjacent to the school was impractical for several reasons. The land in this area is limited in size and is severely sloped to the west. Replacing the gravel track with a 400-meter, competition-quality track would require costly earthwork and grading, as well as acquisition of properties and/or closing of streets which may not be favorable to patrons. After this evaluation, the board investigated alternatives and decided to buy the 15.5-acre site north of the Palmyra city park for an athletic complex. The bond issue would pay for a football field, track, bleachers, gravel parking, and a concessions/restroom building at this site.
