Palmer voters to decide on bond issue

Voters in the Palmer school district will soon have an opportunity to vote on the first major improvements to Palmer Public Schools in thirty years.
On Monday evening, the Palmer Board of Education passed a resolution to place a $13,995,000 bond before voters. The issue will be decided with a March 12th mail-in election. The proposed plan would provide a secure school entrance, add classrooms, enlarge and move the library for easier access by the public, add a gym with locker rooms that double as a storm shelter, as well as address parking and water flow issues.
“Our school has a great problem that most districts our size don’t have: We are growing,” said Palmer School Superintendent Dr. Joel Bohlken. “The facility is short of classrooms and educational space. This plan addresses those problems in the most economical way possible while providing more safety and security for our students and staff.”
The superintendent said that enrollment has grown by thirteen percent since 2016-17 and remains steady.
Dr. Bohlken noted that the facility planning process began nearly eighteen months ago.
“Our Board of Education began discussing the lack of space in August 2022, including the need for an additional gym that we could use for indoor recess, physical education classes, sports practices, and events.”
From that discussion, the district hired an independent architecture firm to perform a facility audit and create a master facility plan.
The master facility plan identified three urgent facility concerns: safety and security, capacity and activities, and water drainage and maintenance.
Community members and school staff served on a building committee to prioritize the school’s needs. The initial design came in at a projected cost of $34,595,000.
“Our goal all along was to develop a project that is the right size, right scope, and right price to pass the first time,” Bohlken said. “The building committee challenged the architect to solve our challenges at the lowest possible cost while still providing a facility that we all can be proud of.
“Our next step will be to share the plans with the community so that everyone has the information needed to make an informed vote in the March 12th election.”
The district is planning an open house and presentation in February to answer community members’ questions.
Ballots are expected to be mailed to registered voters in the district on February 19, 2024. The last day to register to vote to participate in the special election is March 1st.