The Hopkins Public Schools will sponsor two public forums later this month and in April to offer information and answer questions about the bond proposal on Tuesday, May 6.
The schools had a public program last September, but now that the election date is drawing nearer, there two forums are planned in an effort to let district residents know what the vote is necessary.
The two dates and times are 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, and 6 p.m. Thursday, April 23. Both will be held at the Hopkins High School cafeteria.
Hopkins Public Schools will have its first bond election in 19 years next May and a group of about 40 local citizens showed up to a public forum, to get details.
Supt. Scott VanBonn, himself a graduate of Hopkins High School, was the host for the discussion and information presentation last September. He said the last bond issue from 2007 now is just about paid off, so now is a good time to take care of other projects without raising the tax rate.
Perhaps the most impactful portion of the proposal on the ballot is the removal of the old middle school, which once served as the high school, but now appears to have outlived its usefulness. VanBonn said a new middle school will be a two-story 94,500-square foot facility with landscaping and parking improvements.
The superintendent said the parking situation continues to get worse every year during the morning and afternoon times of student pickups and dropoffs.
He promised that some serious planning will be done to accommodate the razing of the old former high school building and erection of the new facility without interrupting student learning. It was estimated that the turnaround for the project would be complete within three to four years.
Another impactful proposal is for a new 17,500-square-foot performance arts facility for plays, special events and musical presentations. The goal is to eliminate the need for middle school and high school music students to go outside to change classes.
The superintendent insisted that the most important goals of the project plans are safety and security, a comfortable learning environment, athletic facility improvements, energy efficient upgrades and enhanced infrastructure.
Another identified need in the athletic department is upgrades and repairs for the track.
Some attendees of last September’s gathering asked about the old Schwartz farm the district owns, but VanBonn indicated the property at the corner of 128th Avenue and 24th Street might better be continued as a rental farming parcel that brings in about $12,000 a year to the school system.
Other minor wants include continued electric bus purchases, air conditioning in the gym, concessions at the soccer field and renovations at Sycamore and Hopkins Elementaries.
Conspicuous by its absence was anything to do with water or a pool.
