Glenwood PPEL vote is Tuesday

The ballot concerns a single measure asking a simple “Yes” or “No.”

And all that hangs in the balance is a $3.7 million levy for a new sports complex a Glenwood group supporting the measure has said could serve the district for the next 50 years.

The Glenwood Community School District is holding a special election Tuesday on a Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) that would, according to district officials, fund a complete overhaul of the district’s aging athletics complex.

The polls open at noon on Tuesday and close at 8 p.m. at the Glenwood American Legion Hall, 104 N. Vine St. in Glenwood. Early and absentee voters can cast ballots through Feb. 6 at 11 a.m. at the Mills County Auditor’s Office.

The PPEL measure is the district’s second attempt at funding a remodeled complex after Glenwood voters turned down a similar, $6 million plan last April by a 61-39 percent margin. The measure requires 50 percent approval to pass. If approved, construction could begin as early as this fall with a planned 12 to 18 month construction phase.

Darren Thomas, a spokesperson for the Youth for Action Committee (YAC), a private group that has spearheaded the project for the last two years, said the new PPEL is a “scaled back” version of that original April 2017 plan with a new financial structure.

Construction plans for the new complex, however, still include a new running track, new home bleachers, expanded visitor bleachers, new press box, new locker rooms, new entryway into the complex, new concession stand, renovations to the grass playing surface, additional parking and a pick- up and drop-off driveway. Plans for a field turf playing surface and an additional pedestrian bridge across Keg Creek have been scrapped but could be added back, depending on costs and the results of a YAC private fundraising campaign.

The new measure also has an added commitment of $200,000 annually from the district over the 10-year life of the levy, bringing the total bond amount down to $3.7 million. The new figure lowers the district’s tax asking for the project down from the original $1.34 per $1,000 to .85 cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation. According to figures supplied by YAC, if the PPEL passes, that would mean a Glenwood resident who owns a home assessed at $123,000 (the average cost of a home in the district) would pay $55.41 more annually in taxes.

While YAC, school board members and district officials have said the funds will be used for the athletic complex, language on the ballot does not specifically earmark the PPEL dollars for a specific project.

According to Superintendent Devin Embray, via the district’s attorney, state law governing PPEL funds is written in terms of the purpose for which the funds will be used, not a specific project and if the district were to attempt to draft specific language for a project there could be issues using those funds based on whether the language specifically described all components of the project and all of the purposes under law that apply to that project.

YAC is planning a final push right before Tuesday’s vote with a forum Monday at Glenwood Community High School at 6 p.m. hosted by Thomas, Embray and Activities Director Jeff Bissen.

Attendance and questions at the handful of previous forums have been good, Thomas said. Many of the questions revolved around the financing and the scope of the project.

“I think we’ve done a lot more this time to inform the public than we did last time,” Thomas said. “We’ve learned a lot since last time around. We’ve had conversations with people and small meetings with people who want to know what this project is, what the PPEL means and want to understand how the financing works and the wants versus needs of the complex.”

The Glenwood Athletic Complex has hosted Ram football since at least 1947. The field house building opened in 1961. Additions to that building were added to the south in 1973 and another addition was completed in 1996.

The complex has long been rumored to be past due for an overhaul similarly undertaken by districts in Treynor, Harlan, Council Bluffs Lewis Central and Plattsmouth, Neb. in recent years. In the past year, both Denison and Creston have also announced major infrastructure projects that include athletic complex upgrades.

 

Glenwood School Board President Curt Becker isn’t sure if the fact nearby districts and a handful of Hawkeye 10 Conference schools having approved similar referendums plays in Glenwood’s favor or not. Whether the PPEL passes or not, he said, comes more down to what individual voters feel about the district’s facilities.

“There are a lot of long-term infrastructure needs for the district and this is one of them,” Becker said. “Whether neighboring communities are doing this or not, I personally see this as an infrastructure need that fits into an overall district plan that’s looking out 40 or 50 years down the road. This is just one component of that.”

If Glenwood’s PPEL were to not pass, the district would then apply that $200,000 it earmarked annually for the complex to upkeep and a “piecemeal” approach to needed improvements.

Financially and timeline-wise, that’s a less than ideal prospect, according to Becker.

“When the board looked at the types of things the complex needed and staging those renovations in pieces, we determined we could set aside this amount each year,” Becker said. “The challenge with that was building that $200,000 into upkeep components and improvements. On this large of a project that meant doing this in phases that would put us out 40 or 50 years before we were halfway through the whole project. The cost to do it that way would just chew up those funds.”

Without a PPEL, Becker admitted, the board would have to go back to the drawing board and determine how to address the most pressing needs with current funds. Replacing the complex’s track surface is considered a priority. The track was installed in 1999, with a life expectancy of 15 to 18 years. The estimated cost for replacement is $400,000.

The Opinion-Tribune

116 S Walnut St Glenwood, IA 51534-1665
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Phone: 712-527-3191
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