Swan River School to break ground on addition, in need of more money

Swan River School District No. 4 board of trustees recently approved subcontractor bid packages to start breaking ground and building a new addition for the $867,000 bond voters approved last fall. Now they will be asking voters for a little bit more.

For the $867,000 the school district will be building a metal structure housing a gymnasium with no bleachers or seating area. There's no money for boys' and girls' locker rooms and public restrooms, and only enough for the shell of a music room.

Swan River School board members and administrators were hoping that once the new addition was complete that they could sell or move the Quonset building off school grounds, according to Principal Peter Loyda in a press release dated June 13.

The Quonset building constructed in 1970 now serves as a gym and has boys' and girls' locker rooms, and a music room. The Quonset has become a large expense because of the cost to heat it, and it has become too small to correctly serve the growing enrollment of students, according to Loyda.

"With the current approved bond money, the Quonset building would have to be kept active for the next few years due to the gymnasium not being completed nor the music room," Loyda said.

The Swan River School bonding capacity will increase to $1.2 million as of July 1. The Swan River School Construction Committee and Board of Trustees have agreed to turn to the voters for their approval to use the additional $324,000 in available bond money in order to finish building the metal building and gymnasium complete with bleachers. The money also will be used to complete the music room, build the boys' and girls' locker rooms and public restrooms, and complete a stage area with storage, and build an art room.

For taxpayers in the school district, this would be an additional $16.13 annually per $100,000 of residential property value, according to Loyda.

Ballots will be mailed June 27 and are due back July 20. If you have any questions about the mail ballot, call Loyda at 837-4528, or e-mail him at ployda@swanriver.k12.mt.us

"We appreciate your support on this very important matter," Loyda said.