SAUGATUCK, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Saugatuck Public Schools.
After hearing a presentation by the Lakeshore district’s facilities committee on Monday night, the board tentatively approved placing a $35.6 million bond proposal before voters during the Presidential Primary election on March 10th. It would put a 22-year, 1.6-mill assessment on property owners, and would finance needed infrastructure and safety improvements at the district’s two main buildings – Douglas Elementary School and Saugatuck Middle/High School. According to Superintendent Dr. Tim Travis, the request is 11 percent below a $39.9 million request that voters rejected by just three votes this past May, and less than the $50.1 million ask that was turned down in May of 2018. “We did scale it back a little bit,” he told WHTC News, “because we heard we heard from the community that they still thought the price was too high, but in the final analysis, I think the needs (presented) by the committee are still there.”
After having the state Department of Treasury look over the proposal, the board is expected to approve final ballot wording at its next meeting on December 16th.
