“This is a historic opportunity for our community.”
Pat Landes, City Commissioner, was amongst the first to speak out in support of a new Junction City High School project.
“The State will match up to 48 percent currently and there’s no expiration date on that,” said Landes. “After July 1st that number could actually go up to 69 percent where it used to be; and then with the Heavily Impacted Aid, in which I believe we are one of 23 school districts in the country that receives this funding, to have the balance of basically our mortgage payment or another 52 percent to pay for a brand new high school is an opportunity that would be absolutely foolish to let go.”
Amid growing concern over the reliability of State and Federal funds, Landes said that using this funds for local projects is something that is very commonplace.
“The City already does [it], as far as using our local match dollars to lineup with the State and Federal highway dollars to fix things along 77 Highway,” Landes notes as an example. “The walking trail between the middle school and the high school, we’re doing matching funds on that, so this idea that it’s wrong to take money from outside our community – it’s already happening and that’s how you maximize your dollars to make those good projects happen that can really benefit your community.”
In lieu of the delayed Heavy Impact Aid payment from the Federal government, Landes is unchanged from his initial sentiments.
“We’ve had reassurances from our Senators, Senator Moran and Roberts, that the money is there; we have a brand new President and administration in office and they’re working through their own things with Congress and our support for the military is huge and I think our new President feels the same way, and I really have no concern that the [heavy impact aid] funding is going to be there,” said Landes.
USD 475 received notice last week that the payment would be delayed until the summer months. District officials are expected to recommend changing the Bond Election date from May 9th to a tentative date of August 1st at the next Board of Education meeting.
“I guarantee there isn’t a school district in the country that wouldn’t love to be in our shoes right now, if you could build a brand new high school and not raise your local mil levy to do that – and [they’ve] already worked these things through with the bond council – boy, I think it would be an absolute foolhardy not to do this,” said Landes.