Referendum 2021

NORTH LINN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS. RESPONSIBLY PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.
The North Linn Community School District will present two questions on the Tuesday, September 14, 2021 special election ballot.

QUESTION 1: $11.5 million General Obligation Bond Referendum
Shall the following public measure be adopted?  Shall the Board of Directors of the North Linn Community School District in the Counties of Benton, Buchanan, Delaware, and Linn, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $11,500,000 to provide funds to remodel, repair, improve, furnish, and equip the High School and Middle School buildings, including, but not limited to, improvements for ADA compliance, electrical upgrades, heating, cooling, and ventilation system improvements, roof improvements at the Middle School building, and improvements to classrooms?  

TAX IMPACT ON QUESTION 1:  $0 Tax Increase from Current Tax Rate

• Why a $0 anticipated tax increase?  As a result of careful planning and early repayment of a previous bond debt, approval of this $11.5 million bond referendum is not anticipated to impact the current district’s portion of your property tax rate.

QUESTION 2: Adopt a Revenue Purpose Statement
Shall the following public measure be adopted?  To adopt a Revenue Purpose Statement specifying the use of revenues the North Linn Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) Fund. If approved, this Revenue Purpose Statement shall remain in effect until replaced or amended by the North Linn Community School District.

TAX IMPACT ON QUESTION 2:  $0 Tax Impact

• This question is independent of our construction project. The RPS must be periodically updated as mandated by Iowa legislation. 
• Will this raise my taxes?  Question 2 will absolutely not raise your taxes. This is an extension of the current Revenue Purpose Statement which will allow the school district to continue to spend the funds as allowed by Iowa law.

NEEDS AND SCOPE

Replace all unit ventilators in the middle and high schools 

• Currently, the middle and high school classrooms are each heated and ventilated by individual unit ventilators, original to the 1968 building, and do not have any air conditioning or dehumidification. They are far beyond their useful life and negatively impact the student learning environment by causing issues with occupant comfort, indoor air quality, and noise levels. Additionally, there are issues related to energy efficiency, reliability, and increased maintenance costs. 
• This facility improvement opportunity includes replacing the middle and high school unit ventilators with new central displacement ventilation system utilizing hot water heating and chilled water cooling/dehumidification. This system will provide adequate ventilation, individual space temperature control, and optimum energy efficiency and classroom acoustics. 

Remodeling of the high school science and FACS (Family and Consumer Science) classrooms 

• The high school science and FACS classrooms are original to the 1968 building (53 years old). The classrooms are showing major signs of age and deterioration and are unable to support a modern learning environment. 

Ceiling tile system replacement in the middle and high schools 

• The middle and high school acoustical ceiling tiles are near the end of their useful life, discolored, and warping in many areas of the facility. 

Installation of new LED fixtures in the middle and high schools 

• This facility improvement opportunity includes installing new LED fixtures in coordination with newly installed HVAC systems and ceiling tile systems in the middle and high school classrooms.  LED fixtures are optimized to provide the best lighting for the learning environment as well as reduced operating and maintenance costs. 

Roof Improvements at Middle School: 

• The current Middle School roof was originally installed in 1998 with an average life expectancy of 20 years. The roof is now 23 years old and beginning to show signs of wear. Several leaks have been reported and repaired over the past several years. Both the severity and frequency of these leaks will increase as the roof continues to age beyond its life expectancy, resulting in increased maintenance costs and damage to interior building systems such as ceiling tiles and finishes. This facility improvement opportunity includes an option to extend the useful life of the existing roofing system through a comprehensive repair plan as well as a full replacement that may occur as needed in the next one to five years. 

Window replacement in the high school 

• The window systems in several areas of the high school are original to the 1968 building and inefficient single pane windows that have exceeded their useful life. 
• The original high school classroom windows are small and provide minimal natural light into the rooms.
• To allow for more natural light, opportunities exist to place the new energy efficient window systems into the brick “bump-outs” above where unit ventilators currently sit. 

Create ADA compliant student restrooms in the high school 

• Student restrooms at the high school are original and currently not ADA accessible.  This facility improvement consists of remodeling the high school restrooms to make them ADA accessible. 

Upgrade electrical distribution system at the high school 

• The electric distribution system at the high school is original to building construction in 1968 and is 23 years past its life expectancy.
• This upgrade will meet NEC (National Electrical Code) standards and present loads needed for 21st century electronic educational programming.
• The main electrical service supporting the middle and high school is aging, however no concerns have been identified with the components or capacity for current connected load. Due to the planned upgrade to the electrical distribution system and HVAC systems, the main electrical service needs to be updated to support the increased load. 

Domestic water pipe replacement at the high school

• The existing domestic water piping in the high school is original and has exceeded its 50-year useful life. When piping exceeds its useful life, this leads to reliability issues and increased maintenance costs.
• This facility improvement opportunity consists of replacing the existing domestic water distribution system in the high school with new piping wherever accessible. Original domestic piping located beneath wall cavities would remain. This replacement would occur in conjunction with the HVAC, ceiling system, and electrical work.

WHY NOW?
In the Fall of 2020, the district recognized the need to do work on the aging unit ventilators (heating and cooling systems) at the middle and high schools. A comprehensive facility assessment study, from the rooftops to the pavement was conducted by SitelogIQ. The study included information about the life expectancy of the current equipment and infrastructure, indoor air quality, temperature and humidity, lighting, acoustics and utility usage. Results from the study were presented to the school board in May of 2021.  It was determined that several infrastructure needs should be addressed; recognizing the importance of updating the aging facilities and creating an efficient and complete scope of work. The school board worked internally and with a consultant to arrive at the current scope of planning.  

The bond project is focused on a new heating, cooling and ventilation system components in the high school and middle school classrooms. The current ventilation units are 30 years beyond their life expectancy and are failing to provide adequate ventilation and comfort in the classrooms for staff and students. This plan recognizes the importance of planning for replacement rather than experiencing a failure which would impact the learning environment and the cost of the project. The bulk of the bond project would be replacing the classroom heating, cooling and ventilation systems. While these project areas are exposed, it will extend to include several secondary needs. The school board and district leadership agree that taking care of these secondary projects makes fiscal sense.