GWINN, Mich. (WZMQ) – Gwinn Area Community Schools (GACS) has proposed a new 31 million dollar millage that will be on the ballot to help renovate its aging facilities.
Last year the district proposed the 45 million dollar “One School” millage to try to combine the district’s three schools into one to lower costs and renovate the facilities.
“It would have closed two elementary schools and brought them to this site,” said GACS superintendent Dr. Sara Croney. “It would have renovated the middle school and high school and would have been able to be a new build for those two coming one.”
However, last year’s proposal was voted down, so this year the district has a new bond proposal which aims to renovate the buildings in stages.
The first stage will be bringing the middle and high school up to date.
Steven Boettcher, a senior engineer with Integrated Designs Inc. (IDI) the company overseeing the project on the school’s behalf, said one of the main focuses will be security.
“This was built in the late 1950s and 1960s, and this school has not received a whole lot of renovation since then,” said Boettcher. “You can pretty much just get buzzed in and walk anywhere into the school, they don’t have a means to control security and obviously in this day and age that’s a huge concern for the community.”
Another main focus area will be creating space for Gwinn High School’s building and trades programs.
“They have a great trades program currently, and have been given a lot of equipment from manufacturing,” said Boettcher. “But they currently don’t have the power, or the space, or adequate means to put that equipment into play
Croney said if this millage passes it will help the district prepare for the future.
“The students truly are our future,” said Croney. “We can’t go any further with the roof that we have, it’s time.”
More information about the proposed millage can be found on the GACS website.
