Orange City, Iowa — A proposal for an $8.7 million addition to Unity Christian High School was defeated by the Unity constituency last night.
According to information on the school’s website, the vote was 46% in favor and 54% opposed.
The proposal was to build an addition to the west and east sides of the school for a projected cost of $8.7 million, of which $3 million had been pledged by ten donors in a silent phase of the campaign.
According to information provided to constituents, the board felt that the athletic facilities needed upgrades and expansion, to include court space, new locker rooms, and a turf field. They also said that their student musicians would be best served by moving the music room next to the Knight Center as originally intended. The project also would have expanded the cafeteria into the current music room. It also would have created a secure home for school buses and vehicles. They say that freeing up the current bus barn would have provided space for the shop area to expand in service to the agricultural program.
The information says that business partners Dale Zevenbergen, Jay Schuiteman and Jesse Moret would have managed the new addition as a health and wellness business. Their lease payments, estimated to be $200,000 a year, would have been applied toward the building project’s expected debt.
The City of Orange City also was committed to giving a half a million dollars toward the project, as the City would have used the new athletic facilities for their recreational needs.
