Issue 25: Vermilion Schools ask voters for funds to fix buildings

The Vermilion Schools are asking voters to again consider a construction bond levy that will provide the funds for much-needed improvements to the district's aging facilities. The bond issue would raise $47 million for renovations, improvements and upgrades that the district has been putting off for years but can't afford to wait on any longer, Superintendent David Hile said. "It's not that we're choosing to do this to get a facelift. The buildings are in such bad shape. They're really old and there hasn't been any investment in the facilities," he said. Much of the immediate costs will be at Vermilion High School, which was built in 1968. Another big-ticket item is the high school roof, which is estimated to cost $4 million to $7 million, and requires a tear-off with asbestos remediation. There are also five HVAC units on the roof that need to be replaced, at an estimated cost of $30,000 each. Tiles on the roof caused water to flood into a hallway at the high school. "There is nothing wrong with that age building, but it needs updating and modernizing. It needs new electrical equipment inside, we need to modernize the library and turn it into a learning center where the students can plug their laptops in," he said. Both the middle school and the high school have serious plumbing issues and need updated bathrooms. The elevator at the middle school has to be fixed, at the cost of at least $100,000. One necessary addition is adding doors to all the classrooms on the second floor of Sailorway Middle School. Originally designed with an open classroom concept, the absence of doors is a noise and distraction issue, Hile said, but it's also a safety issue. "We can't do lockdown with no doors. We have no walls either, to attach doors, so we'd have to build walls as well," Hile said. The elementary building is the newest on campus, built in 2010, but has issues that need to be addressed. Large windows installed at top to provide natural lighting weren't installed correctly, leading to leaking water and air flowing through, Hile said, and the district is having a difficult time finding contractors willing to tackle the job. The sidewalks around the building are heaving, the HVAC system is broken and the parts are no longer made to fix it and it must be replaced, he said. The district's bus garage, built in 1947, needs to be torn down and replaced. It's not equipped with modern bays to allow employees to work under the buses. The pipes froze over the winter and flooded the building, and it is infested with rodents and mice, Hile said. "It's in deplorable condition. I hate having employees go there to work every day," Hile said. "People don't believe these numbers, but they're coming from our architects, who are doing these works at schools every day and that's what they're basing these costs on. That's all they do is schools." The district tried for the same levy in spring, but voters rejected it. District officials hope they will reconsider, especially in light of recent moves by Ohio legislators. Earlier this month, Ohio Republicans in the Senate overrode Gov. Mike DeWine's veto and blocked school district's abilities to put emergency or substitute levies, or request increases to current levies, on the ballot. "They're making it really hard to finance a school district," Hile said. "It's really urgent that we pass that now in November. We can't afford to not have that in our budget." Vermilion is one of very few in the state that does not have a levy on the books to fund permanent improvements to take care of ongoing expenses like these, Hile said. Out of 611 districts in Ohio, only 43 - including Vermilion - do not. If it did, those funds would be earmarked specifically to pay for these types of projects. Without them, the repairs and costs must come from the general budget, of which 80 percent goes to pay for salaries and associated expenses, leaving little left over to cover the cost of aging buildings that are continually needing expensive repairs and upkeep and services, such as new buses, which cost roughly $150,000 each. "That's why we're doing this, to take the pressure off our general fund," Hile said. "We have to use that money for paying teachers, paying for instructional materials, everything else we need," he said. "If we don't pass this in November, we've really got a big problem." Contact Rini Jeffers at rinijeffers@gmail.com.