H-BC to host public meetings for bond referendum

The Hills-Beaver Creek School District will host public information meetings on March 23 and 28 to answer questions about the $29.975 million bond referendum vote scheduled for April 11.
District officials propose to demolish the current elementary school in Beaver Creek and build a new elementary school.
They also propose to demolish the former high school at 205 E. Second St. in Hills and remodel the adjoining Hugo Goehle gym/locker rooms and bus garage.
Each site will host its own public information meeting and tours.
The elementary meeting will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23, in Beaver Creek.
The Hugo Goehle meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, in Hills.
According to Superintendent Todd Holthaus, the H-BC School Board is working to secure additional land in Beaver Creek for the new elementary school.
Board members met in their third closed session Monday to discuss land options; however, no agreement was reached.
The district is seeking 10 to 12 acres for the new elementary school.
“Ideally we would like to have a purchase agreement before the referendum vote,” Holthaus said. “We don’t have to have that for state approval. We would like to have an agreement for our own peace of mind.”
The board is working on the building project with the architects ATSR, construction manager RA Morton and the district’s finance adviser Ehlers Inc.
Representatives from all three entities will join H-BC School Board members at the March public information meetings.
The district intends to ask voters two questions on April 11.
Question 1 asks voters to consider a $26.5 million bond to build a new preK-5 elementary school and decommission the existing structure in Beaver Creek.
Question 2 asks for $3.475 million to decommission the former high school building in Hills and make improvements to the former school’s locker rooms and gymnasium. The existing bus garage and the parking lot at the current secondary school will also be expanded under the plan.
An informational brochure was recently sent to school district residents explaining the projects involved in the bond referendum and where and how residents can vote.
A copy of the brochure is available at www.hbcpatriots.com under the “2023 Referendum” tab where an impact calculator is also available for residents to gauge how the referendum may affect various property classifications.
The 2022 community facility survey and 2022 facility analysis can also be viewed on the school website.