Fairfax residents to get one other vote on a $36.5 million bond for varsity enhancements

FAIRFAX, Vt. (WCAX) – Fairfax voters can have one other say on a $36.5 bond to enhance Bellows Free Academy. A revote will likely be going down in January, after some residents say they weren’t conscious they needed to request a particular poll.

The varsity has been in operation since 1930 and is beginning to present indicators of its age. Franklin West Supervisory Union Superintendent John Tague says one of many causes they want the bond is to repair an ongoing capability downside.

“Our variety of college students are rising,” Tague mentioned. “We’ve had some massive courses coming prior to now a number of years to the purpose elementary lecture rooms are within the decrease portion of the highschool.”

The bond would cowl 9 new lecture rooms and enhance current ones, particularly for center and highschool science. Moreover, it’ll cowl the price of a brand new entrance workplace house that’s safer and a hearth sprinkler system.

This bond narrowly handed in November by simply 33 votes. A handful residents created a petition for a revote, saying they didn’t know to request a particular poll, bringing the subject again up for dialogue a fourth time.

Dad and mom and former college students inform Channel 3, it’s time to cease pushing these enhancements off.

“There’s been constant wants recognized by all three of those bonds and we hold voting this down and kicking it to the suitable, however the wants are constantly nonetheless there,” mentioned Jason Boyd, a father or mother and former faculty board member.

“BFA is among the colleges within the state that has a number of the most extracurricular involvement from college students,” mentioned 2019 alumni Shane Seals. “I feel there’s much more alternatives we might have if we had house.”

If the bond passes, residents can anticipate to see wherever from $194 to $972 added to their taxes. Tague instructed Channel 3 earlier this yr he hopes to have building on these tasks accomplished by 2024. There’s no phrase on if this revote will push it again.

“We’ve been taking a look at this bond since 2017,” Tague mentioned. “There’s some people feeling it’s about time we transfer ahead with it and the opposite perspective is it’s some huge cash we’re asking for.”

The revote will likely be going down on January tenth. When you stay in Fairfax, you possibly can request a poll from the city clerk, or vote in particular person on the center faculty health club.

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