Voters pass Lapwai levy, new classrooms will be built

Lapwai High School/Middle School Principal Mike Halverson watches over students Wednesday.

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Story Published: Mar 25, 2009 at 10:39 PM PDT

Story Updated: Mar 25, 2009 at 10:39 PM PDT

By Matt Loveless

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LAPWAI - A simple majority wins out this time around in the Lapwai School District's latest push for a new middle school wing.

Lapwai High School/Middle School Principal Mike Halverson said 52 percent approved the $600,000 levy. A year ago Wednesday, and again in October, district patrons failed to get a supermajority of "yes" votes to pass a bond.

"The first two times we were asking for more funds, and we would have been able to do more," said Halverson. "Now we'll be able to get the classrooms built, and if we're real lucky, we'll be able to get the (old) high school torn down, but right now we're focusing on the classrooms."

Halverson said they had to sacrifice a new gym, along with letting the old building stand. Last month the district voted to move current middle school students out of the old building, part of which is condemned.

John Williamson, who is the parent of two Lapwai students, said the previous bond failures were painful to parents.

"I'm not a medical doctor, but I knew there as the possibility with the presence of mold and animal feces and stuff like that, that there could be long-term health effects," said Williamson.

Halverson said they are making do, sharing classrooms, using the library, and making faculty bathrooms available to middle school students. The new wing will solve that problem, providing four classrooms, a computer lab and a set of bathrooms.

"We don't have a starting date, we're hoping to get started as soon as possible with our design build team," said Halverson. "If we're real lucky, we'll get kids in by the start of school. If we're not, we hope the last possible date to get kids into the building will be October 1st."

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