By Kristine Thomas
At the Nov. 25 board work session, Silver Falls Superintendent Andy Bellando placed his cards on the table, outlining for the school board his recommendations for moving forward after the defeat of the $24.9 million bond in November’s election.
Moving students and staff out of Eugene Field using the district’s existing financial means along with considering alternative revenue sources was at the top of his list.
Stating he believes he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t provide recommendations for consideration, Bellando also said he will follow whatever decision the board makes.
In the presentation, Bellando asked the board to review several documents including board and district goals, the vision plan, seven facility studies and public input as it considers what to do next, He added it’s good for the board to remind itself of the work it and previous boards have done to address the district’s facilities.
His first recommendation was to affirm the board’s decision to discontinue the use of Eugene Field.
“The board needs to first and foremost address this topic,” he said.
In an interview after the meeting, Bellando said the board needs to clearly state what it plans to do about Eugene Field in order to move forward and develop a plan.
Even though the bond was defeated with 56 percent “no” votes to 44 percent “yes” votes, Bellando said from the year and half of feedback from the community, he believes the majority of the community believes closing Eugene Field is the right thing to do.
His second recommendation to the was to locate a temporary new home for Eugene Field staff and students.
He asked the board to consider looking at adjusting attendance boundaries; moving one or more of the district’s programs to other schools and using the single story portions of the Schlador Street Campus.
He also asked that any changes the board makes result in the least disruption to Eugene Field students and their families. They must also address district goals and priorities.
Finally, Bellando recommended considering alternative revenue sources to pay for improvements to the Schlador Street campus. He emphasized the school district would not use any portions of the building deemed unsafe, including the two-story structure. Although the district has $1.5 million in its reserves, Bellando recommended the board use those funds only for district maintenance and facility projects.
Bellando estimated the conversion of the Schlador Campus to an elementary school, based on the current enrollment and programs at Eugene Field School, is around $2 million.
It would cost $989,000 for site costs, which includes use of all existing single story classrooms/work space and includes reactivation of the multi-purpose room, kitchen and adjacent classrooms. It also includes demolition of the agriculture building and the placement of five double classrooms modular structures.
Add to that figure the off-site costs of $1 million, estimated by the city of Silverton and Marion County based on results of a traffic impact study done when the site was considered for a middle school.
Keeping the objective in mind to use as little from the general fund as possible to pay for the project, Bellando said the district could look at obtaining a five-year loan of $2 million with an estimated annual debt service of $421,000 to $425,000.
He suggested a portion of the loan could be paid using money from the sale of three properties as well as the construction excise tax.
Board member David Beeson said he was skeptical of Bellando’s argument that even though the public voted “no” on the bond that no voters still support vacating Eugene Field. He stated the board should look into why the bond failed for a second time.
“We don’t know what we don’t know,” he said. “I think we need to do some research before we move forward.”
Beeson questioned why Eugene Field hasn’t had hot water for three years and why the district hasn’t used reserve funds to address the problem which he said would be relatively inexpensive to fix.
When he stated he thinks the students at Eugene Field are “being held hostage to drive an agenda,” board chairman Tim Roth told Beeson he was offended by the remark, adding qualified firms have told the board the galvanized pipes are 90 years old.
“We have done everything we can to make the school the best we can,” Roth said. “We have had multiple people telling us to get out of Eugene Field. The vote doesn’t negate the fact Eugene Field is not a good place for kids.”
Beeson also said he thinks the board should look at what it would cost to renovate Eugene Field compared to adding modulars to Schlador.
He contended the board does not have the adequate information to make a decision and questioned if the push to get out of Eugene Field was being spun by inadequate information.
Beeson said the voters didn’t “vote to put kids in modulars.”
“I suggest we move some what slowly,” Beeson said. “We have heard from the voters about the bond but we haven’t heard from the public about this option to move Eugene Field to Schlador.”
Roth disagreed. He said the board and district staff has communicated with the public about the district’s facilities.
“There is a time as a board we need to be leaders and make a decision,” he said.
The morning following the meeting, Bellando said the board has the information it needs to make a decision about Eugene Field. He added hopes they make a decision in the next few meetings. A decision will provide clarity and provide the board and the school district with a plan to move forward, Bellando said.
