School district presents bond issue to commissioners

Seeking regional support for 5A 

[  By Katherine Nettles  ]

RE1J superintendent Leslie Nichols began a series of presentations to local government bodies last week to solicit valley-wide support for a big ballot measure this coming election season. The Gunnison Watershed School District is pursuing a $95 million bond measure on the county’s 2022 ballot and Nichols emphasized to Gunnison County commissioners the importance of getting support from the community at large for the school facility improvements it would enable at both ends of the Gunnison Valley. Commissioners expressed their informal support for the bond measure during their work session on Tuesday, August 23 and will consider adopting a resolution to make it official in the coming weeks. 

Nichols and school board president Tyler Martineau reviewed the mechanics of the proposed bond measure, titled 5A, addressing “critical needs” of safety, maintenance and overcrowding at school facilities. Nichols noted that the last bond was approved in 2008, or 14 years ago and is scheduled to be paid off in 2033. 

“The district has refinanced the current bond two or three times over the years, and saved about $7 million,” she said. “We do pay attention to those opportunities.”

5A would cost residential property owners $199.12 annually per $500,000 assessed value with a 25-year payoff period. Nichols and Martineau specifically described their hopes to emulate the county’s success in using geothermal energy to heat its facilities. Martineau said he hoped to have the funds to do geothermal “before we have to replace a couple of $400,000 boilers that are nearing the end of their lifespan.”

Commissioners expressed their appreciation of the opportunity to collaborate. Commissioner chair Jonathan Houck and county manager Matthew Birnie both advised the school district to keep pushing for geothermal technology through the design phase process if the bond measure succeeds, and stay resolute in the face of skepticism from engineers who might have less experience with geothermal. 

“In this community there is an appetite for renewable energy resources and you when we make these investments in our facilities…we drive up the overall value of our investments,” said Houck.

Houck also reflected on his time as an educator in Gunnison in the late 1990s and his experience having children in the district as well. “From day one, the district has used every inch of those spaces,” he said.

He agreed with the district’s statement that strong schools make strong communities. “And that includes people who don’t have kids, or who have kids who are done with school,” he said, listing research that finds higher employment rates and overall health ratings in areas with strong educational systems. “This is an essential piece of this community.”

The commissioners do not take action during work sessions, but Nichols said she would send over a resolution of support for them to consider.