School patrons in Poteau, Okemah, Sulphur and Keys approved bond<br>issues that would pay for new school construction, athletic<br>facilities and computers, while voters in Craig County, Keifer,<br>Sallisaw
Wednesday, September 15th 1999, 12:00 am
By: News On 6
School patrons in Poteau, Okemah, Sulphur and Keys approved bond issues that would pay for new school construction, athletic facilities and computers, while voters in Craig County, Keifer, Sallisaw and Norman rejected spending proposals for school and city projects.
The issues were among a number of proposals on ballots across Oklahoma on Tuesday.
Okemah residents voted 478-274 for the $2.385 million bond issue that would pay for construction of a new high school near Interstate 40. The present school will be converted into a middle school, Superintendent Ron Meadows said after Tuesday's balloting. He hopes the nearly 70-year-old middle school will be torn down.
In Craig County, the vote turning down the penny sales tax was 1,222 to 442.
"I don't know if the public understands the seriousness of this," Undersheriff Mark Hayes said. "I guess we'll wait awhile and try again."
The state fire marshal's office sued the county last year, citing jail overcrowding. A judge could have declared an emergency and raised property taxes to fund improvements, Sheriff George Vaughn said.
The sales tax would have funded an 80-bed, $4.7 million facility. The present 32-bed, 72-year-old jail averages about 50 prisoners a day, Vaughn said.
In Norman, voters rejected five of six "quality of life" projects totaling almost $30 million. A proposal for $290,000 to improve the Norman Public Library passed 5,773 to 5,693.
The voters rejected a $4.14 million communications system, a $9.9 million parks and recreation proposal and projects to extend Front Street, improve three cultural buildings and to add parking lots.
Mayor Bob Thompson said the city would go ahead with the library improvements, which include new tables and chairs, carpet and a new sound system. The other issues will go back on the city's wish list.
In other elections: -- Poteau voters passed a $300,000 bond issue for school computers by a 70 percent margin, 420 to 180. The money will replace 190 old computers that aren't Y2K-compliant.
-- Keys School District voters approved an $845,000 bond issue to build classrooms, restrooms and a running track for the Cherokee County community.
-- In Coweta, residents approved a $1.9 million proposition for a new elementary school, which will house kindergarten through fourth grade students.
-- A $700,000 three-phase bond issue to build a junior high school in Keifer fell a few votes short of the required 60 percent needed for approval, marking the second time in two years the issue has been narrowly defeated.
-- Voters in the Midwest City-Del City school district approved a $10.46 million bond issue on a 2,259-580 vote. Portions of the bond issue will be used to place multimedia workstations in each elementary school and for engineering and architectural work on a new fieldhouse at Carl Albert High School.
-- Voters in El Reno approved a $1.275 million proposal to build and furnish an activity center at Roblyer Middle School.
-- Cache School District patrons approved a $1.1 million construction bond proposal on a 201-110 vote.
-- Voters in the Perkins-Tryon School District approved a $500,000 bond issue to add elementary school classrooms. The vote was 374-170.
In Sallisaw, school patrons rejected a $2.75 million bond proposal to build a new 1,000-seat auditorium and a new six-classroom kindergarten center.
School officials wanted to provide full-day kindergarten classes for the 130 first-year students in the district. The auditorium would have included classrooms, space for theatrical scene construction, storage and restrooms.
Patrons in Sulphur approved a $1 million bond proposal to buy new heating and air-conditioning equipment for the elementary school and two wings of the high school, plus a new roof for the middle school.
Also, to comply with federal handicap-access laws, all restrooms in the district will be upgraded, and new hardware will be added to all doors throughout the district, which has about 1,360 students.
Also approved were two bond issues totaling $730,000 for computers, new seating at the high school football field, parking improvements and buses in the Cushing School District.
And in Grady County, voters passed a quarter-cent sales tax to make renovations and maintain the county fairgrounds, which were built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. The fairgrounds were used as a POW camp during World War II. The tax will raise an estimated $469,000 a year for 15 years.
County officials have specified $4 million in renovations, including the installation of a new floor and roof at the exhibit building, doubling the arena's size and making the entire grounds accessible to the handicapped. County residents also decided to expand the enhanced 911 service by a 1,121 to 397 vote.
In Garfield County, two school districts approved bond issues.
Patrons in Garber's school district approved a $945,000 bond issue, proceeds of which will be used to improve roofs, buy computers, replace air- conditioning units and build a gymnasium lobby.
Voters in Kremlin-Hillsdale's district approved two issues. One for $200,000 passed by a 158-70 margin, or 69.3 percent. It will repair the roof on the school building, replace carpeting and buy computers. Patrons also passed a $175,000 issue to buy three buses.
By a 69 percent margin, voters in the Perkins-Tryon school district supported a $500,000 bond issue for elementary school improvements, including expansion of the school library. It passed, 374-168.
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