Swan River voters approve second bond issue for school

The Daily Inter Lake

A second bond issue for an expansion project at Swan River School won the approval of voters on Wednesday.

Through a mail-in ballot, the school got permission to issue $324,000 in construction bonds. That brings to $1.2 million the total bonds approved for upgrades and expansion.

As a result, the school will be able to complete a plan approved last year for a gym, locker and restrooms, art room, music room and stage. Midway through the project, soil tests had threatened to stifle completion by requiring much more expensive foundations to make the building earthquake worthy.

The bond request was approved by a slim 10-vote margin, with 229 favoring the request and 219 voting against it. That represented a little less than a 50 percent voter turnout.

"Now is the time to ask," Principal Peter Loyda said on Thursday, "because it was the difference between having an average addition and having a superior addition."

Construction already had begun on the addition, which will allow the school to abandon its old Quonset building which had been used for P.E. and music activities.

With Wednesday's vote, school officials can economize by having the excavators and workers carry out the entire project while still on-site, rather than having them return at a future date that could have been forced by a later bond election.

"I want to thank the community for coming through for Swan River School twice now," Loyda said.

The new construction will enhance school curriculum and offer the community a place for speakers and other programs, he said.

Substantial completion is scheduled for Dec. 31, he said, with a potential spill-over on that schedule for the art room and stage.

Bids already have been let, as initial bid packages included alternate options for the final work.

Terry Kramer of Kramer Enterprises is the construction manager for the project, and John Peterson of Architects Design Group is the project engineer.