Hartley, Iowa — Voters in the Hartley-Melvin Sanborn School District will go to the polls on Tuesday, September 13th, to decide the fate of building updates, renovations, and additions.
A similar bond issue went to the voters in March of 2014. This time the bond does not include an auditorium, according to April Hengeveld, who is the chair of the bond committee.
She tells us about the bond.
Currently, she says they have one of each kind of school, with all students in the district in a certain grade level attending in the same building. They have two schools in Hartley, the HMS High School and the Hartley Elementary School for kids in kindergarten through the third grade. And in Sanborn, they have one middle school for fourth through eighth graders. She tells us most of that would stay the same under the new proposal.
Hengeveld says some facilities will be duplicated in the high school/elementary school site, such as music rooms and gyms.
She tells us why proponents say that the changes are needed.
Hengeveld says they don’t have the right facilities for handicapped students.
She says that times have changed since the schools were built. It used to be that wheelchair-bound students went to different schools, but now many of them are integrated with the general school population, and they don’t want to discriminate against students who need wheelchairs to get around. Also, she says they only have one handicapped bathroom in that building.
She says there are also HVAC issues.
Again, the $16.25 million bond issue will be decided by an election on September 13th. Absentee ballots are available via the O’Brien County Auditor’s office. They need to be returned by 5:00 p.m. the day before the election. You can call them for details at 712-957-3225.
May City and Hartley area voters vote in Hartley. If you live west of Van Buren Avenue, which is basically between Hartley and Sanborn, you will be voting in Sanborn; that includes Sanborn and Melvin area voters. Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM. Since it is a bond issue, the measure does need 60 percent of the vote to pass.
Click here for a sample ballot and a map of the area, showing you where to vote.
Public meetings have been scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 1st at the HMS High School in Hartley; Tuesday, August 2nd at 5:15 p.m. at the Melvin Fire Station; and at 7:00 p.m. that same night at the HMS Middle School in Sanborn.
There will be tours of the schools as follows:
·Saturday, August 6th at the Hartley Elementary School during Hartley Summer Celebration Days; It will be right after the parade. Detailed information will be available.
·Monday, August 22nd at the Sanborn Middle School for the Schools Open House
