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Norway-Vulcan Area Schools officials make case for $10 million bond

THE HVAC BOILERS in Norway-Vulcan schools are the originals installed 30 years ago and have become obsolete. New boilers would be much more efficient, Superintendent Louis Steigerwald said during a walking tour Monday. The district is seeking voter approval Nov. 5 on a $10 million bond for needed maintenance, repairs and upgrades to the school campus. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

NORWAY — About 10 district residents were on hand Monday for a town hall meeting and walking tour as Norway-Vulcan Area Schools tries to gain voter support for a $10 million bond in the Nov. 5 election.

The proposed bond would fund maintenance, repairs and upgrades at the school campus, built in 1992.

The bond proposal calls for a maximum levy of three mills, or $3 per $1,000 of taxable value, for 20 years.

If passed, taxpayers would see no increase to their tax bill, as this proposal would replace a bond passed in 2012 that ends in the spring 2025, Superintendent Louis Steigerwald said.

On Monday, Steigerwald pointed out numerous needs across the school campus.

NORWAY-VULCAN SUPERINTENDENT Louis Steigerwald shows how the track surface is coming up at Ronberg Field stadium. The district cannot host meets due to the track’s condition. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

Outside, the parking lot pavement and sidewalks are deteriorating from years of salting during the winter. Steigerwald also said they would like to make the parking lots 3 feet wider to improve traffic flow.

A wall between the elementary and middle schools is crumbling, the brick has been removed and has been covered with plywood siding.

At the athletic field, Steigerwald noted that the stands were built around 1940 and the concrete is disintigrating. On the track, the surface is coming up and it has dips, making it unusable for meets. Replacing the track would cost an estimated $450,000.

According to Steigerwald, the inside of the building needs a lot of help as well.

Flooring throughout the school is worn out and doors are warped and do not close properly. Many of the lockers cannot be used because they have been stripped of usable parts, parts that are no longer available.

NORWAY-VULCAN ELEMENTARY School Principal Rico Meneghini, at left, shows a classroom with the new furniture the district hopes to place throughout the school. Much of the older furniture is no longer suited for today’s teaching methods, school officials said. The district is seeking a $10 million bond for needed maintenance, repairs and upgrades to the school. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

Work on the HVAC system includes replacing the boilers with newer, more efficient models, along with the obsolete classroom thermostats and air exchangers.

Elementary Principal Rico Meneghini told the group much of the furniture in the classrooms is mismatched, in poor shape and is no longer suited for today’s teaching methods.

Meneghini said the district’s proposal is much different from others that have recently failed in the region.

“We are not talking about changing our footprint. It is not adding anything new,” Meneghini said. “It lets us repair and replace and get stuff back up where it needs to be, where it is safe, efficient and something that our kids and community deserve.”

Steigerwald added, “We have a great community and great kids and the kids deserve to have some stuff that is newer and better.”

MUCH OF THE OLDER furniture, shown here, in Norway-Vulcan Elementary School is no longer suited for today’s teaching methods, school officials said. The district is seeking a $10 million bond for needed maintenance, repairs and upgrades to the school. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

If voters approve the bond proposal, the district would sell the bonds and would then have three years to complete the projects.

NORWAY-VULCAN AREA SCHOOL'S Ronberg Field stadium was built around 1940 and is crumbling. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

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