Lake schools: Planning for new building underway

By: 
Larry Limpf

Members of the Lake school board and administration Tuesday visited area elementary schools in Wood County as they plan for construction of a new elementary school in the Lake district.
Jim Witt, Lake superintendent, Dave Schaffer, director of buildings and facilities, Mandy Wilburn, elementary school principal, and Tim Krugh and Nick Baer, board members, visited the schools as members of an ad hoc committee that was assembled to oversee construction preparations for the new school.
The board has retained The Collaborative, a Toledo firm, as architect for the project. The firm also designed Lake High School.
“We’ll be continuing the planning process. We’re looking at some different options for classrooms. We’re at the very beginning right now,” Witt said.
An autumn 2024 opening of the new school is planned, he said.
The planned building will be constructed west of the current elementary school. It will be designed to house 53 classrooms for pre-K through the sixth grade – which is 25 more classrooms than the current school. The planned cafeteria could also be used for athletic contests and performances. Separate art and music rooms and a gym are also planned.
Voters approved a 6-mill bond issue in November that will raise $36 million over 37 years to fund construction of the new school.
Repayment of the bond is being structured around existing debt incurred in 2000 for the district’s middle school. At present, 3.3 mills are being collected to pay off the middle school debt that is scheduled to be retired in December 2024. With that debt being retired, property owners will realize a net increase of 2.7 mills – an additional $94.50 in property taxes a year for the owner of a home with a market value of $100,000.
Monica Leppelmeier, Lake treasurer, said in November the district could save about $20 million over the life of the bond if interest rates stay at their current levels.
The current elementary school was constructed in 1960.

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