Kirkwood and Highland measure pass

The referendum on Kirkwood Community College?s general obligation bonds passed easily with 76 percent of the vote in Tuesday?s election. The vote was 673 in favor to 218 against. The referendum needed 60 percent approval to pass. The successful vote means that Kirkwood will be able to issue bonds up to $46.5 million for capital improvement projects from 2015 to 2030. The property tax levy on those people in Kirkwood?s taxing jurisdiction will remain at 20 cents per $1,000 of valuation.

Washington County Kirkwood director Tera Pickens said Monday that Tuesday?s vote would be a renewal of a bond issue that was passed in 2005. The original bond is set to expire in 2015 and was expected to generate $32 million over that 10-year period.

Pickens said the $46.5 million bond will pay for the construction of a regional center in Washington and two others ? at the Oakdale Campus and in the Marion-Hiawatha Area. The bond will also be used to remodel Linn Hall at the college?s main campus in Cedar Rapids.

Highland School District?s ballot measure regarding a Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) passed with 67 percent of the vote, 163 to 83. The measure needed 50 percent approval to pass.

The new property tax levy for plants and equipment will be $1 for every $1,000 of assessed valuation, which is a reduction from the current rate of $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The district introduced the PPEL 10 years ago to fund the construction of the middle school and other projects such as purchasing security equipment and buses. Highland School Superintendent Chris Armstrong said now that the middle school is built, the school district is able to provide tax relief for the community while maintaining quality programs for the students. The new levy will last 10 years and will take effect in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. The law requires that the continuation of the PPEL be voted on every 10 years.

Armstrong identified three areas the district wants to improve using PPEL funds. He said the high school needs an upgrade to its heating and cooling system. He said the high school also needs energy-efficient windows. He said the football field needs to be improved and it needs a new track, bleachers and lights. Armstrong said he hopes to accomplish all those projects by the end of the 2012-2013 school year.

?We?ve been without a track for some time and still had student athletes who have won state championships in track,? Armstrong said. ?Our bleachers are also at ground level, which restricts the view of the people in the stands. We?d like to have elevated bleachers.?

Armstrong said the lights at the football field are old and inadequate. He said new lights would use less electricity and still shine more light on the field.

?The football field?s crown is not where it needs to be,? Armstrong said. ?We need to reassess the soil. There is too much clay in it, which makes the soil hard. We need to get it tilled and water it during the summer.?

Armstrong said the high school has single-pane aluminum windows, which he said ?have very little insulating value.?

?We?d like to replace those with double-pane, high-efficiency windows,? he said. ?We know that a lot of warm air is escaping in the winter and a lot of hot air is coming in during the summer with our current windows.?

Armstrong said the classrooms at the high school have window air conditioners and pneumatic controlled heating.

?We?re not as efficient as we could be if we had new cooling units and new controls that more efficiently regulate heating and cooling,? he said.

He said new ventilating units would be able to provide both heat and air conditioning.