Willmar voters approve new school, but not field house

WILLMAR - Willmar Public Schools voters approved the first and largest part of a two-question bond referendum Tuesday.

Question 1, a wide-ranging $53.25 million project, was approved by a vote of 2,661 in favor and 2,297 against.

A second question, seeking $7.75 million for a field house at Willmar Senior High, failed 2,227 in favor and 2,707 against.

Nearly 5,000 people participated in the election, about one-third of the district's eligible voters.

With the passing of Question 1, the school district can look forward to building a $27 million elementary school to ease overcrowding in its existing schools.

Superintendent Jerry Kjergaard said, "I'm just walking on air. ... It's quite a way to end a career." He will retire June 30.

"We got something that's going to set us up for the next 15 years," he said. "I would have loved to have the field house. I think it would have added a lot to the community and our district."

However, the projects in Question 1 will make many improvements to the district, he said.

Other parts of the project include $9.5 million for deferred maintenance projects, $1.6 million for remodeling academic areas in school buildings, $3.8 million for an eight-classroom science addition at Willmar Middle School and $8 million for gymnasium and physical education additions at Willmar Senior High.

According to the current schedule, the new school will open in fall 2017.

Deferred maintenance would likely be spread over the next three summers.

Construction on the science addition at the middle school could begin by the end of this year, and the addition could open in fall 2016 or shortly after.

Three possible sites for the school have been identified in southeastern Willmar. The School Board reviewed the sites at a meeting last week. No site has been chosen yet, and no negotiations have started on a possible purchase.

Architect Paul Youngquist, already under contract with the district, will be in Willmar on June 3 to start meeting with administrators on designs for the new school and other projects.

Rodney Staska, a Willmar businessman and one of the primary proponents of the field house, said he was very happy Question 1 passed, "but you have to be a little bit disappointed with Question 2 not going through," he said. "We gave it a good effort; we're not going to give up yet."

Staska said he hopes to find out why some people voted against the field house. "Maybe they just didn't know all the facts," he said.

"We need to give it another try," he added. "There's too many voters out there that are positive to let it go by the wayside."

The field house would have added a component that could have given teams more practice space and brought tournaments and other events to the community. "I think it could do a lot for the town," he said.

Staska had worked with Education Matters, a citizen group, to campaign for the levy.

"I am thrilled that the community is investing in our kids," School Board member Mike Carlson said. "We need this and it will be a good thing for Willmar in the long run. I hope that others in the community will consider the field house, because it will put Willmar on the map as a regional center."

Kjergaard said he was pleased with the community, which "made a good choice tonight. They could have done a little better with the field house, but they did a good thing tonight."