CENTERBURG — A new permanent improvement levy for Centerburg Local Schools is likely to land on the November ballot, with the potential to bring several repairs to the district’s infrastructure.
The levy was introduced by Centerburg Supt. Ryan Gallwitz at January’s board of education meeting.
“Our brand-new building (Centerburg High School) isn’t brand-new anymore,” Gallwitz said. “Things are starting to add up.”
On choosing a permanent improvement levy over other funding methods, Gallwitz said he felt it was the best interest for the district due to multiple projects underlined. A bond issue would only take care of some projects, he said.
Gallwitz said he “feels like we’re facing maintenance issues daily,” with one example being Centerburg’s high school and middle school power outage that occurred on Christmas Eve due to high winds.
With Knox County facing subzero temperatures and negative windchills, power was restored to the buildings roughly at 5 p.m., Gallwitz said.
The power outage wiped out the school’s phone system, with calls not transferring and no access to voicemails.
“Calls are now able to be made but voicemails are still unaccessible,” Gallwitz said. “Make sure you follow up any voicemail with an email.”
One improvement to the 23-year-old high school Gallwitz said he’d like to see is the gym bleachers repaired, in which several seats have broken.
Repairs could range from $50,000 to $60,000, he said.
In addition, the 1923 district’s administrative offices haven’t seen roof repairs in 35 years, Gallwitz said.
“There’s asphalt work that needs done, parking lots that need paved and sealed,” Gallwitz said. “(We) need a new phone system, that’s going to be somewhere between $60,000 to $100,000.”
At the end of 2023, taxes will stop being collected on the high school building, which was at 2.18 mills. That includes a $95,000 maintenance fund.
“In the Centerburg Local School District, one mill generates approximately $193,000,” Gallwitz said.
The millage on the proposed permanent improvement levy hasn’t been set yet, as the ballot measure process has just begun.
“I think our community would expect us to take care of these buildings,” Gallwitz said. “I think some additional funds would be needed.”
