Voters approve Somers school bond

A $15.8 million bond issue was narrowly approved by voters in Somers-Lakeside School District Tuesday.

According to unofficial results, 958 voters (52.4 percent) supported the bond issue and 870 (47.6 percent) rejected it. There were 4,120 ballots that went out to registered voters.

The money will fund a renovation and expansion of Somers Middle School.

Taxpayers who own homes with assessed values of $200,000 can expect annual property taxes to increase by $160. The life of the bond will be 20 years.

Somers Middle School was constructed in 1953, with additions built in the 1960s and 1990s to accommodate growing enrollment.

The bond issue will fund construction of a new addition while remodeling a wing of the school built in the 1990s. Two older wings of the building will be demolished.

Construction will include a new gym, fitness area, science lab, shop, art room, music room, band room, kitchen, commons, classrooms and the flexible, multi-purpose spaces. Once finished, the building will be approximately 57,090 square feet with a capacity of 270 students.

The next step is to hire an architectural firm, Somers-Lakeside School District Superintendent Joe Price said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.