The Okoboji school district approved a bond issue for a new middle school Tuesday (story: Spencer Daily Reporter). The district covers the Iowa Great Lakes area south of 175th Street, with Arnolds Park, Milford, Okoboji (yes, there’s a town of that name), Wahpeton, and West Okoboji, and down to include Fostoria.
The new building, would be separate from the existing high school in Milford but would be on the same land. The existing middle school, which was Arnolds Park High School until a merger, will be closed and sold. (An appraisal of the building and land [large PDF] found that while the almost-lakeside site is a good place for development, it’s worth slightly more alive than dead.)
This is not entirely a typical “pass bond issue, close old school” situation, though. Dickinson County is one of three counties in northwest Iowa that peaked in population in the most recent census. Although a good portion of the population is seasonal, enrollment in the district has been steady to slightly growing (PDF). Milford shares a city border with Arnolds Park, so while the latter is technically losing its school the new one is only four miles away. (Interestingly, while the site for the new one can be seen from the present high school, it’s not currently inside Milford’s city limits!)
Construction of the new facility, according to the article, will take 18 to 24 months, so it could open in the fall of 2020.
Next door, Graettinger-Terril approved a bond issue by a 17-vote margin (story: KICD) to build a new gym, new classrooms, and other things.