On Monday, the Creston Community School District School Board of Directors approved the petition of a general obligation bond not to exceed $22.5 million toward a gymnasium addition and improvements to the existing high school building.
However, after discussing the project with employees at DLR Group, the design firm used by the school district, the school board has since decided to halt the project. This comes after building costs rose exponentially since the last bond term.
“The proposed projects were estimated to exceed general obligation bond revenue by $9.5 million,” CCSD Superintendent Deron Stender stated in a press release Wednesday. “We anticipated the size of the proposed projects could be scaled back to align project costs with GOB revenue. After further review of the projects and anticipated costs, it is not possible to reduce the proposed projects to align with the proposed $22.5 million GOB.”
This voting season would have been the third try at a general obligation bond for the district.
“At this time, we will pause the proposed GOB process which means the district will not seek voter approval this November,” Stender said. “It is important that project plans are supported by financial resources. In this case, the resources from the proposed GOB are not enough. We will continue to review options and develop plans that provide the greatest value to our children, schools, and residents.”