CLAYTON — Next Tuesday, Nov. 7, voters in area schools will see a 1.43-mill bond/levy on the ballot to “improve safety for students and modernize the facilities and equipment” at Miami Valley Career Techology Center.
According to MVCTC’s Kelly Herzog, the request is equal to $4.17 per month for the owner of a $100,000 house.
“After 10 years, this amount drops to 1.09 mils or $3.18 per month. MVCTC qualified for the state to pay 47 percent of the co-fundable portion of this project,” Herzog said.
MVCTC has not requested any separate facility money since the district was built in 1968-1970, she noted.
According to Herzog, passage of the Nov. 7 bond/levy would:
• Improve safety for students
• Offer more students the opportunity for in-demand career-technical training
• Update nearly 50-year old facilities and building infrastructure
• Provide business and industry equivalent labs, technology, and equipment
“This bond/levy will provide the facilities and equipment needed to train the next generation of skilled professionals and help overcome the skills gap in our region,” she added.
According to Herzog, the school is facing many difficulties with facilities. She pointed out recent water main damage.
“Corrosive metal loss of the water line caused the pipe to fail from the outside to the inside as the wall got thinner and thinner and eventually failed due to the pressure of the water in the pipe. This destruction of the water line occurred over time based upon the nature of the soil that surrounded it. The pipes at MVCTC have been in the ground for 50 years,” she explained. “The pipes buried underground are in similar condition to the one that failed outside the West Building. This same scenario will eventually take place elsewhere on campus and will increase in frequency.”
“We were fortunate that the water main failure took place about a week before school started,” Herzog said. “If this break had occurred only a couple of weeks later, we would have had to close schools for at least a week. In reality, it would have probably been longer since the water system needs to be chlorinated and test results returned showing that it is safe prior to people being able to prepare food and drink the water. The costs of a break during the school year will be far greater.”
“We are currently on borrowed time with the underground water lines on campus,” she said. “In addition, MVCTC’s Ohio School Facilities Commission report shows the need for the replacement of many major systems (HVAC, Electrical, Technology, etc.) across all three buildings.”
