MURRAY — The Murray Board of Education is conducting a bond election June 26 and residents will be asked to vote on a general obligation bond.
The purpose of the bond is to finance the reconstruction of Hillcrest Junior High School and to make seismic upgrades on all of the Murray School District schools, with the exclusion of the newer Murray High School.
Except for MHS, all other schools in the Murray district are at least 30 years old. A portion of the bond proceeds will provide structural retrofits to enhance safety in the event that an earthquake should occur.
The bond request is for $33 million with $29 million to be used for reconstruction of Hillcrest Junior High, and $4 million for seismic upgrades. The district has also saved additional capital outlay funds to help with costs. Projected costs to residents would be about $4.83 a month, or $58 a year on a $200,000 home.
The school district has looked into the cost of remodeling Hillcrest Junior High. The requirements necessary to bring the facility into compliance with current seismic standards and provide accessibility to disabled individuals as mandated by the Americans With Disabilities Act, as well as electrical, plumbing, roofing and seismic upgrades would bring costs well into the $20 million range.
If the bond passes, implementation of these plans would begin immediately, with construction on Hillcrest Junior High beginning in March 2013, seismic upgrades to other schools under way later in spring 2013, and completion of Hillcrest by 2015.