LOUDONVILLE — The heat inside McMullen Elementary was hard to ignore Wednesday evening.
A thermometer inside the classroom where Supt. Jennifer Allerding spoke displayed 89.2 degrees during an open house about the district’s proposed facilities plan.
McMullen’s hottest classroom reached 88 degrees earlier in the day Wednesday. Students were released two hours early Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because of high temperatures.
The heat was only one of the issues Allerding addressed in a proposed plan for the November ballot.
“That’s not the only need,” Allerding said. “That just happens to be something that’s relevant because of the heat.”
The Loudonville-Perrysville school district is asking voters to approve a $38.47 million facilities project on the November ballot. The proposal would renovate McMullen Elementary and Loudonville High School’s campus.
The project includes about $12.1 million in district funds and $2.8 million through COPS. The remaining community share would be about $23.6 million.
A look inside McMullen
The proposed construction at McMullen would keep the existing building while adding a new gymnasium to the back of the school.
The gym would be large enough to host junior high events. It would include bleachers, restrooms and dressing rooms.
The existing gym space would be converted into space for physical and occupational therapy services.
Allerding said students currently receive some services in hallways and other limited spaces.
“I’m not a big fan of putting those kids in the hallway,” Allerding said.
The district also plans to add an elevator to improve accessibility. The Loudonville Fire Department loaned McMullen a stair climber for a student with a temporary leg injury.
McMullen Elementary Principal Zach Brumfield said he would always be available to assist staff helping a student up the stairs.
The stair climber is a temporary solution for a temporary injury. The district hopes to have a permanent solution in place if a student needs assistance year-round.
The proposal adds air conditioning throughout the building, a sprinkler system, asbestos abatement and renovations to classrooms.
Classrooms would receive new flooring, ceilings and paint.
Among the list of renovations, parents and teachers took the most notice to the air conditioning addition.
Allerding said most classrooms in the building were above 81 degrees Wednesday evening, aside from rooms with air conditioning for students with medical needs.
The building’s electrical system is at its capacity. It’s not as simple as installing window air conditioners throughout the school.
“We need to redo our entire electrical system,” Allerding said.
Renovations to the high school planned
Fourth through eighth-grade students would have a more defined area on campus.
New indoor hallways would connect classrooms that are currently separated by outdoor walkways.
The layout gives younger students more separation from high school students but still keeps opportunities for them to interact.
The plan for the high school includes renovated classrooms, a larger band room, updated choir and art spaces, additional athletic space and a new cafeteria/auditorium.
The auditorium would include tiered seating and a larger stage than the current auditorium.
The band room will also be getting an upgrade because of the growing number of band students.
About 78 seventh and eighth-grade students are in band. The size of the room is about twice the size of a regular classroom. Adding 78 students and their instruments quickly becomes a problem.
“I can’t imagine putting 78 kids in a classroom twice this size,” Allerding said.
The proposed athletic space would add another practice area and include bleachers. They intentionally scaled back the original plan for the space to help control costs.
The project renovates existing classrooms and addresses accessibility, sprinkler and air-conditioning needs throughout the campus.
The proposal is smaller version of past ideas
The current plan is a smaller version of other proposals reviewed by the district.
Allerding said they previously considered projects around $71 million and $69 million.
The current proposal is about $38.5 million.
Allerding said she first wanted community input on priority projects while reducing the financial burden on residents.
A community survey conducted after an early proposal found that 44% of responses believed the district needed to do something with its facilities. Another 25% said their support depended on the proposal.
About 42% supported building a single elementary school, and 28% preferred keeping two elementary buildings and renovating them.
Allerding said she recommended the current plan because residents expressed a desire for a lower-cost option.
“We’re trying hard to lower that cost as much as possible,” Allerding said.
How much will this cost?
The community share would be funded through a combination of property and income taxes.
The proposal calls for a 2.85-mill property tax and a 0.25% income tax.
Allerding said the property tax would cost about $100 annually for every $100,000 of market value. The income tax would generate about $125 for every $50,000 of taxable income.
The district plans to use a portion of its existing budget to help repay a loan for the project without putting the entire cost on taxpayers.
“We’re trying to do what we need to do, but we’re also trying to be very fiscally responsible and not put something on the ballot that we don’t think our community can support,” Allerding said.
What is the timeline?
Funding through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission was considered but eventually ruled out. Moving forward independently could allow construction to begin sooner.
If voters approve the proposal in November, construction could begin around fall 2027.
Additional opportunities for residents to learn about the proposal are being planned in the months leading up to the election.
Wednesday’s open house gave residents an opportunity to see the problems and proposed solutions firsthand.
Allerding plans to continue meeting with community members as the November vote approaches.
“I want people to ask questions. I want people to understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it,” Allerding said. “And I’m willing to meet with anybody who wants to sit down and talk about it.”
