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Schools do homework on voter turnout Central Point district pushes $29.8 million plan By Buffy Pollock CENTRAL POINT � With voter turnout in Tuesday�s mail-in special election at 35 percent as of Friday afternoon, school supporters were gearing up for some last-minute campaigning to boost that level to 50 percent � the turnout needed to pass a crucial school district bond measure. The district is asking for $29.8 million to rebuild, renovate and repair some of the community's oldest and most crowded schools. If at least 50 percent of registered Central Point voters don't turn in their ballots by 8 p.m. Tuesday, the bond cannot pass � even if the majority of voters support it. Schools Superintendent Candace Manary said school board members had been talking with residents and found support did not seem as much of a problem as ballot returns. "Initial phone calls have showed a very high percentage of the people are supportive," she said. "We just need them to turn in their ballots." If voters approve the $29.8 million bond, a new tax of $1.85 per $1,000 assessed valuation would be levied over 20 years to repay it. Money from the bond would allow the school district to remedy crucial issues involving overcrowding and inadequate facilities. Projects would include replacing Central Point Elementary, partially replacing and renovating Hanby Middle School in Gold Hill and enlarging Crater High School and Mae Richardson Elementary. Manary said school board members and volunteers would be on hand until 8 p.m. Tuesday to hand-deliver ballots from any school in the district to the elections office. Volunteers also would be working Monday evening to call voters reminding them to return ballots. "We are obviously very worried everyone has not returned their ballots," she said. "We need voters to realize how important this is." In addition to the school bond measure, voters will be deciding on the city�s controversial smoking ordinance, which would ban smoking in most indoor public places except homes, bars, tobacco stores and motel rooms. Mayor Bill Walton said he was confident the effort to repeal the smoking ordinance would fail. "The public has become educated in decades past. They realize this is the No. 1 killer in the nation and they know what it does to young people. If smoking is not accepted by a community, studies show young people are at a much lower risk to start," said Walton. Central Point voters also are being asked whether the city should annex into Fire District 3 for fire protection and Bear Creek Valley Sanitary Authority for sewer services. Voters in those districts also are being asked to approve the annexation. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA