Voters in Branch County, Michigan, approved a $29.9 million bond issue in support of local schools in the Bronson Community School District. The bond will fund remodeling and expanding a district elementary school as well as athletic upgrades to the district high school.
The total $29.9 million bond will fund construction at Anderson Elementary, which currently houses the district’s kindergarten through second grade students. After the project is complete, a second elementary school in the district, Ryan Elementary will close. Its current third to fifth grade students will then attend the newly expanded Anderson school. Thus, Anderson will be the new location for all of the district’s kindergarten to fifth grade students.
The bond issue will fund a variety of projects at Anderson Elementary and at the district high school. At Anderson, a new gymnasium will be built and sized to accommodate a 50’x84’ basketball court. The district will also expand the cafeteria and introduce classroom upgrades. Exterior doors and windows will be replaced to create a more energy efficient building. Additionally, air conditioning will be added throughout the school, and heating equipment will be replaced. A new main entrance will also be built to provide direct access to the office for outside visitors.
At the high school, a new eight-lane track will be built. This track will replace the current six-lane one to allow the facility to hold Michigan High School Athletic Association sanctioned events in the future.
To fund the bond, voters approved access to $4.92 million in property taxes for 25 years. Since the bond has been approved, the final design and bidding process can begin. This phase is expected to take 12 months. Following this phase, work on the school will begin and is expected to come to completion by the end of the 2028 school year.
According to the unofficial results from the county clerk’s office, the bond issue passed by only 53 votes. This bond passed following a previous $32.33 million proposal, which failed in May after not receiving enough votes.
Photo by Alex Koch from Pexels
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