School bond issue going to the polls

Logan County voters will be heading to the polls on Tuesday, August 24th for the community of Guthrie and Guthrie Public Schools.

The total proposition of the bond for the tax payers’ is $89,745,000.00. 

The bond would construct a new high school which would be located two blocks east of the I-35 and Highway 33 intersection on 80 acres currently owned by the City of Guthrie. The new school would allow for middle school students (6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade) to be moved to the current high school.

The new high school would also include a new basketball gym, softball field, tennis courts, a track, football practice field, and soccer facility.

The high school gym would seat 3,500 and could become a highly used facility for playoff basketball and other sports, including state tournaments, for the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. In the process, these events would bring people into the community of Guthrie.

The softball field would include field turf and help the school with maintenance and up keep.

The track and soccer field would not only benefit Guthrie athletics, but it would more than likely be used by the OSSAA as well. The OSSAA is currently limited in track facilities for playoff use and Guthrie is a local location.

Guthrie tennis is unable to host tournaments on campus and have to use other facilities in Edmond and Oklahoma City. If the bond were to pass, the program will build eight courts which would eliminate that problem.

On the same land as the proposed high school, a potential satellite center for Meridian Technology Center may be built.

Bond money will help the current high school and junior high with renovation, repair, and remodeling along with construction and repair of parking lots and roads around the district, purchasing of computer and instructional software for classroom use for grades 4 thru 12, and purchasing textbooks for the district.

The bond would save the district $ 525,000.00 per year for the next two years currently being paid out of the district’s general operating budget.

Although the Junior High would not be used for schooling, the building could benefit the community and other groups. The building could turn into a Fine Arts Center for Guthrie Public Schools’ performances, a municipal auditorium for public use, possible permanent housing for City of Guthrie Library, and a possible permanent housing for Guthrie YMCA and other county or city agencies.

The Guthrie Chamber of Commerce and other type agencies could benefit as well with the space to host conventions and large meetings.

For every $100 paid in property taxes this past year, the increase would be $23.61 a year or $1.97 per month.

According to the Logan County Assessor’s Office, the average tax assessment in the Guthrie Public School District has an assessed value of $76,500.00. Passage of this bond issue would increase the average homeowner’s property taxes $180.00 per year or $0.49 per day.

To vote on the August 24^th bond issue voters must be registered by July 30^th.