Electorate Votes 62 To 28 To Buy Wolverton Property

Approximately 100 people attended the special meeting of the Electorate of the Peshtigo School District on Monday, July 30 to discuss and eventually vote on the School Board’s request for authorization to purchase approximately 84.5 acres of property for $300,000.

The property, broken down into three separate but connected parcels, belongs to Dorothy Wolverton. The property wraps around the Rennes Heath Care West facility on the corner to Aubin Ave. and County Highway D.

Prior to the meeting, the District had obtained a signed document from Wolverton which contained a number of contingencies which would need to be investigated should the district ever decide to build on the property. These contingencies include but are not limited to environmental studies, soil analysis, suitability studies, wetlands analysis and the like. The Wolvertons have also asked to be allowed to continue living in the home as long as they wish.

After about an hour of questions, statements and concerns, the electorate voted by secret ballot to approve the land purchase. The final vote totaled 62 in favor, 28 opposed.

Following the Pledge of Allegiance, School Board president Mike Fifarek was elected as temporary chairman of the meeting.

District Administrator Kim Eparvier explained the purpose of the special meeting and the history behind the request. He said for several months an Ad Hoc Committee has been working on the concept of possibly building a new middle/high school. The group had looked at a block of properties south of the existing building. The estimated cost for the 16 parcels was $1.6 million. Four of the property owners were not willing to sell, and others wanted to negotiate a price. Tremendous costs would also be involved in moving utilities.

Eparvier said that the Ad Hoc Committee asked for more options on property available in close proximity of the city. The School Board searched for suitable properties and approached the Wolvertons, who were willing to sell. The properties are mostly woods and fields.

Eparvier added if the district was to purchase the properties, land would be available if the district ever went to referendum on building. He explained the school board fully supported the purchase.

As he had to do several times during the meeting, Eparvier explained building on this land would be a totally separate issue and that the vote taken that evening would have no binding effect on any potential building project. This was just the board seeking permission to buy some land, which it has done many times before over the course of time.

Previous to the public discussion of the proposal, Eparvier read a letter from district resident Jim Koronkiewicz who was not able to attend the special meeting. Koronkiewicz stated he was in favor of the land purchase.

Fifteen attendees at the meeting spoke and only 14 were residents of the district. One of the speakers was a resident of Ohio who felt she had a right to speak at the meeting.

Diane Murphy stated her concern was about transportation to the new land should a school be built there. There are currently no sidewalks in that area, and that is a cost. Bussing more students would also increase costs. She saw it as a choice between technology/teaching versus transportation.

Ed Wortner had several questions on how the district had come up with values on the properties south of the current facility, which were part of the original proposal the Ad Hoc Committee examined. Wortner was also very concerned about the way the district went about proposing the downtown site. Eparvier responded the property values were straight from the tax rolls in the Office of County Assessor.

David Spangenberg questioned the urgency and the expediency shown by the district in purchasing the Wolverton property. He brought up other potential properties in proximity to the city. He also felt that the district was ram-rodding the proposal through and was concerned about the district creating a positive feeling in the community. Eparvier responded that this property was in close proximity and was large enough to suit the needs should the district ever choose to build on the property. He also reviewed some of the history of the district and how delays had caused the district to lose out on other property opportunities.

Lou Nesberg said she didn’t feel the district was ram-rodding this proposal nor the talk of erecting a new building. It has been discussed for close to 20 years, she said. She also felt a lot of the questions on the need of a new building should have been brought to the Ad Hoc Committee by active participation in it. This meeting, she said, was about buying a piece of property.

Cheryl Lange asked about the contingencies that would be on the land if the district decided to purchase it.

Randy Meunier stated the property was a good deal, but that putting a school there is not. He suggested the former pulp mill property. Meunier also asked several questions about parking space at the school.

Ruth Ann Sandberg asked if the electorate were to approve the purchase of this property, would the district sell the large piece of property it owns several miles south of the city. Eparvier hinted that board may decide that, but that, too, would have to be brought before the electorate at a meeting such as this one.

Mark Konrad initially asked why the posting on this meeting was not on the school district website and where the money for the purchase would come from. Eparvier responded that state law required the meeting be posted twice in the newspaper and in the customary locations, which it was. As to where the money will come from, Eparvier stated the money would come from the district’s Fund Balance.

Konrad then went on to speak about taxes and how he feared that a new building would negatively affect taxes now and in the future. He also spoke about employment and other economic trends that he saw in the district and in the region in general and how he felt the district doesn’t need a new building.

Nate McBride, a 2012 graduate of Peshtigo High School, stated he has been a part of the process of looking at a possible new building for at least four years and he felt this land purchase wasn’t being ram-rodded through. From personal experience he felt that the current Middle/High School was no longer sufficient and that current and future maintenance cost on the old building would be almost as much as the cost of new building.

Ashley Louis, a teacher in the Middle/High School, related her experience with small hallways, cramped conditions, and a general lack of adequate space in the current building.

Roger Schoenfeld questioned why, if the building was so crowded, was the district accepting so many Open Enrollment students. He also questioned the disparity between the $6800 the district receives for each Open Enrollment student and the $9200 the district receives for each in-district student. He saw the district as losing money on the deal.

Fred Meintz questioned how much out-of-district students pay for a building project and how that was to the residents of the district.

Delores Konrad stated that in 40 years since she was student in the district she hasn’t seen an increase in enrollment. She also stated her preference for the district to have a thorough, long range plan on the needs of the district. She said the district needs to step back and take a look at a lot of things related to buildings.

Jenny Dolata finished out the discussion by saying that much of the discussion brought up that evening were things talked about in the meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee, and that none of the people who brought them up were ever at a meeting of that committee. She encouraged a vote, which was why the meeting was called.

When it was apparent that no one else wanted the floor, Gary Larsen called the question.

Prior to the vote, Fifarek summarized his feelings on the matter. He concluded that the district is looking at land. He felt that if the district buys this land, they can sell the property south of the city. He said, “I think we need the land-now or in the future.”

All voting was done by secret ballot. The results were tabulated in full view at the front table and the individual ballots were available for inspection after the meeting.

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