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Cape Girardeau Public Schools Send $20M Bond Issue To Voters

Jacob McCleland
/
KRCU
If approved by voters, the Cape Girardeau Central Junior Hall will undergo a major renovation.

Cape Girardeau voters will have a chance to approve a new $20 million bond issue on April 7 that will bring a second round of renovations to the Cape Girardeau Public School district.

If approved, the no-tax increase bond issue will include a major renovation of the junior high building, new heating and air conditioning infrastructure throughout the district and an addition to the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

The school board approved the resolution at its meeting last week.

The Central Junior High renovation is the largest project. Assistant superintendent Neil Glass estimates the renovation will cost about $9.8 million.

“That building was built in 1951,”Glass said. “Buildings that were built back in that day are in need of updates and renovations because times have changed.”

Cape Girardeau school board president Kyle McDonald said crews will remove the Junior High practice gym and replace it with administrative offices for the vice principal and counseling, as well as a new practice gym. The chemistry and science labs will be updated and moved to the second floor, which will open up rooms on the main academic wing for other classes. McDonald said they will also update the restrooms.

“One of the biggest complaints that we get when we have performances in the auditorium is there’s not enough adequate restroom facilities for everybody to use in a timely manner,” McDonald said. “We’re going to add two complete new mens and womens restroom groups there.”

The basement will be renovated to have more usable space and the roof will be repaired.

McDonald said the majority of the work will take place over the summer to minimize disruption to classes.

The addition to the Career and Technology Center will cost an estimated $5.9 million. Glass said health care classes and future expansion programs will be housed in that facility, in addition to class space for the Cape College Center. 

“We would like to offer more out there but right now we’re restricted because of the space issues,” Glass said. “Mineral Area College, Three Rivers College and Southeast Missouri State University are all great partners for that Career Center and we want to be able to accommodate them the best that we can.”

McDonald said some students who are enrolled in health care programs currently have to take chemistry classes in Central High School.

“We’re just in need of additional classroom space for those students to keep them all in one area and limit the travel between buildings,” McDonald said.

If approved, the heating and air-conditioning equipment improvements would cost $1.8 million dollars and would affect most buildings in the district except the new Franklin Elementary.

“We’re looking at equipment that’s probably 15 to 20 years old that we’re having to spend a lot of time and a lot of labor and a lot of parts on,” Glass said.

Other smaller projects include a new driveway at Clippard Elementary, roof repairs at the middle school, and resurfacing the track field and tennis courts, but the final list of projects is not yet complete.

This is the second phase of a project to improve Cape Girardeau Public School facilities. Voters approved a $40 million Phase I in 2010 and it included the construction of the new Franklin Elementary School, a new academic wing at Central High School, the athletic stadium complex, new entranceways at most elementary schools, a new library computer wing at Clippard Elementary, a new library at the Junior High and the Kinder Performance Hall at the High School. 

McDonald said voters will not see their property taxes increase as a result of the tax, and their tax rate will not decrease if the issue fails at the ballot box.