FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Fairbanks education leaders are preparing to pitch their list of school projects to local officials, with the final phase of renovations at one of the oldest schools in the area being the top priority.
Education leaders are hoping to get the $14.2 million Barnette Magnet School Phase IV project on the municipal ballot for the upcoming fall bond election, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported .
If so, it would be the first major school project fully funded by local taxpayers.
The final remodel stage has been stalled for about five years due to lack of financing.
“It’s been a priority for the school district for as long as I have been on the school board,” said board President Heidi Haas, who is finishing her second three-year term. “At this point, we would like to have a run at a bond. We really have to just commit as a community to get it done.”
Education leaders on Wednesday will pitch their list at the assembly Capital Projects and Legislative Priorities Committee.
The project involves cosmetic changes such as new windows, carpeting, lighting, cabinetry and ceiling panels in the oldest section of the school, which was built in the 1960s, school district officials said.
Renovations at Barnette started in the early 2000s with upgrades to the parking lot and playground area, according to district officials. A few years later, the roof, gym, kitchen and exterior of the school were redone. In 2013, a building addition was completed, adding about 20,000 square feet (1,858 square meters) to the school. About $16 million has been spent on the school so far, according to district spokeswoman Sharice Walker.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Karl Kassel is working on a bond proposal to put before the assembly for approval and told the capital projects committee earlier this month that he prefers to hold off on Barnette Phase IV and keep pressing for state funding.
Barnette Phase IV was not submitted for state funding this year, according to a spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Attempts to reach members of the assembly capital projects committee were unsuccessful.
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com
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