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Wood BOE says no facilities bond this November

Wood County Schools Superintendent Will Hosaflook speaks Tuesday to the Wood County Board of Education concerning work on the district’s 10-year Comprehensive Education Facilities Plan. The board decided to not place a facilities bond on the November ballot after officials realized there would not be enough time to properly take all the required steps. (Photo by Michael Erb)

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education will not place a facilities bond call on the November ballot after officials determined they simply would not have enough time to prepare the proper documents.

The board met Tuesday and held a discussion concerning the district’s new Comprehensive Education Facilities Plan, also known as a CEFP, and the possibility of running a bond call to build a new elementary school and perform sports facility upgrades through the county.

In June, board member Rick Olcott presented information to the board on needs at Williamstown High School’s football field, Stadium Field and the Field House at Parkersburg High School and auditorium seating and the Rod Oldham facility at Parkersburg South High School, as well as Erickson All Sports Facility in south Parkersburg.

Olcott urged board members to consider running a facilities bond in November in order to take advantage of low interest rates and the recent end of a past facilities bond.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Assistant Superintendent Mike Fling, who oversees facilities for the district, said in speaking to the Wood County Clerk Mark Rhodes, the school system already is behind in a timeline to effectively bring a bond to Wood County voters. Much of the initial work should have been completed by today, he said, and the very last opportunity to submit the proper documents would be Aug. 25. The school system would still have to go through the process of hiring a bond attorney and financial adviser, he said.

Those requests also would come as the school system is grappling with a worldwide pandemic and the possibility of schools being partially or fully online due to COVID-19.

Olcott said he understood the hurdles were too great to bring a bond to voters this year.

“There is no one more disappointed than me,” Olcott said, “but I also knew when we talked about this it would be a challenge and compressed timeline. I’m a real proponent to get this bond call done correctly. Haste in this case could make a lot of waste.”

Officials continue to work on a new CEFP, said Superintendent Will Hosaflook, which will guide facilities usage and construction for the next 10 years. That plan likely will include the building of new schools in the coming years as the district looks to reduce the number of elementary schools in the county and replace them with new facilities.

Hosaflook also noted projections indicate if the school system does not act now to replace many older facilities with newer buildings, the school system will be looking at about $225 million in needed facility repairs by 2029.

“We are going to be calling on (the community) with a big ask in the near future,” said board President Justin Raber.

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