EARLHAM – The town of Earlham is divided on whether or not to approve a $5 million addition to the high school.
It’s promised that the changes would come with no extra burden on tax payers, but similar projects have been voted down twice before.
“I just have not heard any compelling argument or reason why this project cannot wait three years,” said Mary Jobst, Earlham resident.
The community gathered Wednesday night to discuss a third proposal to add classrooms and expand the gym at the school.
“The amount that we get is great, but it’s not at a level that we could actually do this, so we need the voters to approve it,” said Michael Wright, superintendent of Earlham.
District leaders say it all could be done without raising property taxes, but some in the community believe it’s a dangerous proposition to take on more debt now.
“If our school was bursting at the seams and we were kicking butt in education, I would not be here at all,” said Heather Stancil, Earlham resident.
Payments for the football stadium won’t be done for another three years, but school officials say with low interest rates and potentially higher constructions costs, the school should act now.
“Our mission and vision is to provide the very best that we can for our kids,” said Wright.
That would begin with transitioning away from the gym built in 1957. Basketball players say it’s hard to a place to sit at games, or to operate along the sidelines.
“You always have that thought in the back of your mind, ah, I better be careful because if I hurt myself now I might not be done just for this game, but I might have a really bad injury,” said Canyon Hopkins, a senior at Earlham.
City leaders believe the addition to the athletic program would be a boom all around.
“That’s a big part of our infrastructure, as streets and everything else that the city provides,” said Jeff Lillie, the mayor of Earlham. “Without a strong school, the town would not be what it is.”
Still, the questions linger over when, not if this should happen.
“I’m not opposed to it at all,” said Stancil. “I’m just saying we should wait, especially if we have the opportunity to do it, without a tax increase. I think we should take it.”
This is the only public meeting ahead of the Feb. 2 election. School officials say the details of this plan are very similar to the first two. The biggest changes revolve around the number of locker rooms and some added security features for the front of the building.
If the plans are approved, construction could start as early as next spring. The district would need a 60 percent vote, plus one person, for the project to get that approval.
