Keaton PetersA public school district in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has approval from voters to invest in facility improvements. In an election earlier this month, Northview Public Schools voters approved a 30-year, $74.6 million bond proposal that will fund upgrades across the district’s facilities without increasing the tax rate. The funding will address infrastructure needs, enhance educational spaces and upgrade athletic facilities throughout the district’s eight school buildings.
The bond proposal comes as the district faces growing enrollment and aging facilities that no longer meet the needs of modern education. The bond will fund projects ranging from air conditioning installations to the construction of new educational spaces designed for 21st-century learning.
School officials have allocated $6 million of the bond funds for bus fleet maintenance and related upgrades, while another $5 million is earmarked for district-wide infrastructure and technology updates, including investments in audiovisual systems and computer equipment.
A significant portion of the bond will address elementary school needs, with all three Oakview elementary schools receiving major additions. North Oakview Elementary would add a dedicated cafeteria with air conditioning, freeing up the gymnasium that currently serves double duty for both physical education and meals, at a cost of $5.3 million. East Oakview would receive a dedicated gymnasium and renovated cafeteria at a price tag of $8.5 million, while West Oakview would get similar improvements totaling $6.8 million. These changes will create separate spaces for different functions at each school.
At East Oakview, the proposal also includes classroom additions to replace the aging Field School portable structures, moving students into more modern and well-equipped permanent spaces.
Middle school improvements focus on enhancing specialized learning spaces and improving comfort. Highlands Middle School would convert underutilized locker rooms into dedicated music rooms for growing band and choir programs, while Crossroads Middle School would transform unused shop space into an innovation lab. Both middle schools would receive improved air conditioning in their gymnasiums as part of the upgrades.
The district’s high school would see significant updates under the proposal, including a performing arts addition featuring a 759-seat auditorium and art gallery. The plan also includes modernizing the media center, converting underutilized space to a career technical education lab, and adding a locker room and storage addition. Athletic facilities would receive upgrades including air conditioning in the competition gym and a new video scoreboard.
The transportation building would be expanded to accommodate newer, longer buses with improved maintenance facilities, while district-wide athletic improvements include stadium upgrades, a new secondary competition field and improved site circulation for safety.
Every building in the district would benefit from HVAC improvements, site circulation and parking enhancements, accessibility upgrades and investments in technology, furniture and buses.
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