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Remember last week when I wrote about the ballots for the Nov. 5 general election were pretty much set? Never count your chickens, as they say.
I was aware Monday's meeting of the Hancock County Board of Education would include a discussion on a levy for the school system. I wasn't aware the plans were for an entirely new bond levy to help fund a variety of projects at each of the county's school facilities.
According to Superintendent Dan Enich, officials are finalizing their cost analysis, with plans to either present it to the school board at its Aug. 12 regular meeting or a special meeting on Aug. 19. The idea would be, if the levy is placed on the ballot and approved by voters, to raise around $11 million to $11.5 million through the sale of bonds to fund these projects. Such a bond levy, Enich said, would need only the 50% plus 1 vote approval to become effective, as opposed to the 60% approval excess levies typically need in West Virginia.
The list of projects is lenghthy, so much so that I couldn't include everything in my article from this last school board meeting.
Here is a breakdown from the draft list provided to me at the meeting:
Weir Middle School would receive paving and parking work, HVAC improvements, security camera installation, theater lighting, sound and curtains, gymnasium upgrades to include a sound system, basketball hoops and winches, fire alarm system, visitor ID system, weapon detection systems, signage and painting.
Oak Glen High School would see a new tennis court built on campus, as well as concrete for the renovated baseball and softball fields, paving and parking, HVAC work, an elevator, security camera installation, a storage building, theater improvements, gymnasium upgrades, fire alarm system, visitor ID system with vestibule upgrades, weapons detection system, signage and painting.
AT Allison Elementary is set for paving and parking work to include sealing and striping, play yards, security cameras, a storage building, visitor ID system, weapons detection and painting.
New Manchester Elementary would receiving paving and parking with the sealing and striping, play yards, security camera installation,visitor ID system, weapons detection and painting.
Weirton Elementary would have the construction of an additional lot entrance, paving and parking work, play yards, visitor ID systems, weapons detection and painting.
Oak Glen Middle is listed for paving and parking work, the pyrite remediation project (which needs more money than initially thought), HVAC work, security camera installation, a storage building, gym upgrades, visitor ID system and vestibule upgrades, signage, weapons detection and painting.
Weir High also would get an on-campus tennis court, paving and parking work, HVAC work, security camera installation, roof and skylight work, a storage building, theater upgrades, gymnasium upgrades, fire alarm systems, fencing and guardrails, a visitor ID system, weapons detection, signage and painting.
The John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center has plans for paving and parking, a storage building, an elevator, security camera installation, fire alarm system, security gates, visitor ID system and vestibule upgrades, weapons detection, signage and painting.
In addition, there are plans for a salt shed and additional paving for the district's Transportation and Maintenance departments.
That's not the only levy set to go before voters, though.
The effort to craft a parks levy in Weirton is something on which we have reported several times over the last year.
The possibility has been raised during council meetings and workshops as well as by the Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation itself. Parks Director Coty Shingle has stated for the last several months he has been working on developing a project list, analyzing potential costs for those projects and working with officials in Hancock and Brooke counties to figure out the rates needed to reach the appropriate figures.
Well, going by the agenda for this coming Monday's meeting, there will be a resolution presented to have such a parks levy placed on the ballot for Weirton's municipal election…also scheduled for Nov. 5.
I hope to have more information following the council meeting.
During Thursday's Hancock County Commission meeting, I also learned the renewal of the Hancock County Sheltered Workshop Levy was going to be on the ballot. This will be the same levy Hancock County residents have been voting on - and approving - for many years, with no increase in rates.
I'm not writing any of this to tell you which way to vote, especially since I live in Brooke County and outside of Weirton. We've had our own levies to consider in recent years to fund the county's schools, libraries and emergency services.
The point of this is, this will be a lot to take in as we quickly move ahead to Nov. 5. I encourage all Weirton and Hancock County voters to pay close attention to how they will affect you - both financially and what you get in return - and make your own decision.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @ChowellWDT)