Published Friday, January 10, 2003
Herald Staff Writer
Not all taxpayers concerned about the cost of Jamestown Area School District's proposed $7.5 million high school renovation want to see the the whole project scrapped, but some would like a compromise.
The public got a chance to voice opinions about the project during a hearing Thursday at Jamestown High School.
Project plans were first unveiled last year. Since then, the Jamestown Area Concerned Taxpayers formed and submitted a 1,100-signature petition asking the board to cut all nonacademic renovations from the project.
The board details the need for renovations in a booklet made available to the public. It says: The school was built in 1944, contains some asbestos and does not have an adequate gymnasium to meet the needs of the student athletes or the public. It also says fire alarms and emergency lighting need to be updated, rest rooms must be updated to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and the library is too small.
The school board has been discussing renovations for five years, and many different options were looked at, said Superintendent David Shaffer.
The board narrowed the project to three options: doing nothing, which Shaffer said would only be delaying an inevitable project; renovating and adding onto the high school with three new science rooms, a cafeteria and kitchen, a large group instruction room, a computer lab and public rest rooms; or doing everything in the second option, plus building a new 500-seat gymnasium, a wrestling room and girls' and boys' team rooms.
The board decided on the third option, which makes some taxpayers nervous about the cost.
"Option 2 should be reconsidered," said resident Glenda Davis. "We can't afford a new gym and locker rooms ... I strongly oppose Option 3 as the option for renovations."
Doug McElhaney also asked the board to review Option 2 again, citing the recent closing of businesses and the poor economy.
David Miller, chairman of the economics department at Thiel College in Greenville, said the area's economy cannot handle the scope of the renovation.
"The Jamestown area economy is fragile. Signs of economic distress are everywhere," he said, adding that small businesses and farmers are struggling, and retirees who live on their savings may have a hard time making ends meet.
"These are the people in our community that will have to handle this burden. I urge each of you to think about our community and its economic health. I urge you to go with Option 2," Miller said.
It will take about 6 mills of real estate tax to pay for the renovations, meaning the board will have to raise taxes about 1.5 percent a year for the next five years. Chris Gibbons, district financial adviser, said a tax bill of $500 would rise to $565 next year.
Resident Heather Yesko, who is in favor of the renovations, pointed out that the increase adds up to only 18 cents a day.
"(The school) no longer meets the needs of the students ... if we wish to have others invest in this community, we must show we're willing to be the first ones to invest," she said. "These days 18 cents doesn't buy much of anything, but to be able to do all this for Jamestown students for 18 cents a day is quite a bargain."