MANISTEE — Voters supported Manistee Area Public Schools in its effort to enhance its facilities by voting in favor of a $30.855 million bond proposal by a tally of 1,384-1,303 on Tuesday.
MAPS superintendent Ron Stoneman was thrilled with the good news.
"I'm overwhelmed. I'm very grateful and we look forward to pulling this all together," he said. "We've got some busy times ahead of us, but ultimately, I appreciate the community's support and I appreciate them seeing the vision that we've created and seeing the value of it."
Tuesday night's results are unofficial until certified by the board of canvassers. Around 26% of the 10,220 voters in the school district cast a vote in Tuesday's election.
The bond will allow MAPS to demolish the Jefferson Elementary School building, located at 515 Bryant Ave., and the old Manistee High School building, which was built in 1927 and is located near Kennedy Elementary School, at 550 Maple St.
The district will also replace the roof, doors and hardware of the Manistee Middle/High School building and construct a dedicated middle school gymnasium.
Kennedy will become the centralized elementary school building, with additional classrooms and cafeteria space. The school will receive secure entry points, lockable academic wings, dedicated bus and parking areas and dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas.
Manistee Middle High School principal Andy Huber gave kudos to Stoneman for his work in presenting the bond proposal to numerous people and organizations throughout the community.
"I feel like Ron did an excellent job of really clarifying our goals, the history of our district and our needs going into the future. I thought that it just brought a lot of clarity to the voters," Huber said. "I really see this as a reaffirmation that great times are ahead for our community. That's what this really is — it's community building, and we can't wait to get started."
The bond proposal had been in the works for years.
“We have been working on this (MAPS 2020) Vision Plan since 2017 and have our MAPS staff, families and community members to thank in lending their voices to the process," Stoneman said. "It is with their ideas and feedback that we were able to construct a MAPS Vision Plan that will serve the needs of our students now, and well into the future.”
Now that the bond proposal has been approved, the district can start making its vision a reality. Stoneman said over the next several months engineering plans and architectural drawings will be finalized and a transition plan will be developed to move through the building process.
"I'm just really excited about the opportunities this is going to bring to our students, parents and staff," Huber said. "I can't wait to see the energy that this brings to our district. I'm so thankful to the voters and grateful for the support of the community and the parents."
Stoneman said the Jefferson Neighborhood Committee will continue to work toward formalizing a recommendation for the school board regarding the future of the Jefferson property once the elementary building is demolished and all elementary grades are consolidated to Kennedy.
Ideas for the property include a walking path, practice field/recreation space, a learning garden, and/or single-family housing on a qualified portion of the property.
During a virtual community forum on April 20, Dan LaMore of the Christman Company, the district's construction management firm, laid out a rough timeline of what would follow bond approval.
"We'll spend the next year or so with (architecture firm) TowerPinkster doing design of the new Kennedy building, which would lead to a spring of 2022 construction start," he said. "... It's really important to accommodate safe and successful operation of the students and staff, so there's some phasing involved in that building that we need to investigate a little more thoroughly, but spring of '22 is when we would start.
"We would hope to be able to have some of the building occupiable for following school year of '23 and possibly the entire building — at worst case — by the fall of '24," LaMore continued. "The high school addition would start in early '23 and be ready to be occupied by fall '24, as well."
Stoneman said he appreciates the fact that voters understood the benefits a successful school district can have on a community.
“Our community’s recognition of the importance of this proposed bond is greatly appreciated," he said. "Quality educational resources are a vital component to our economic development efforts, and this project shows our community’s commitment to our students and the future of education in Manistee.”
SEE ALSO:
MAPS bond proposal to go before voters Tuesday
MAPS superintendent: Space is so important
Questions focus on Jefferson building during MAPS forum Q&A
Manistee superintendent Ron Stoneman: 'We’re really at a critical point with our facilities'
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