LASD board approves facilities resolution; voters to decide in May ’19.

LASD board approves facilities resolution; voters to decide in May ’19.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

LUDINGTON — The Ludington Area School District Board of Education approved a resolution Monday evening, Nov. 26, proposing the school proceed with seeking the public’s approval to fund a bond up to $101 million for new and renovated facilities. Voters in the school district will decide during the May 2019 election. 

“I fully support this,” said board President Steve Carlson. “This is a plan, while maybe not a perfect plan — I don’t think you can get to perfect — this is really good.”

The proposal will include:

• Construction of a new elementary school, housing grades kindergarten through five, on school-owned property near the southwest corner of Jebavy Drive and Bryant Road in Pere Marquette Township (known as the Outcalt property).
• New additions and renovations to the middle school and high school complex. The high school was built in 1957; the middle school was built in 1965. 
• Renovations and upgrades to L.F. Peterson Auditorium and the Donald Baldwin Community Pool, both built in the mid-1970s. 
• Improvements to the transportation center, including a new roof.
• Improvements to existing athletic facilities.
• Safety improvements, including single secure points of entry in all school buildings.
• Aggressive marketing of vacant and unused buildings. The proposal would mean the closures of all the current elementary schools: Foster Elementary, built in 1925; Franklin Elementary, built in 1957; Lakeview Elementary, built in 1964, Pere Marquette Early Childhood Center, built as Pere Marquette Elementary in 1965. 

The cost of the project would not exceed a threshold of $101 million and would be requested during the May 2019 election.

The bond would be phased, allowing construction in 2019 and 2022.

The next step will be to start seeking bids from construction managers and architects, Superintendent Jason Kennedy said.

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