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Schools proposal of $24 million faces Three Rivers vote By Vicki Guarino MURPHY � The Three Rivers School District will try again to pass a bond measure to build two new schools and renovate others. The school board is seeking $24 million in the November election, down from a $39.5 million proposal that was narrowly defeated in May. The 59,000-student Josephine County-based district includes a slice of western Jackson County, the 170-student Applegate Elementary School. A portion of the school was condemned during the last school year, and classroom space was replaced with portable buildings. Three Rivers Superintendent Charles Barker said Tuesday that money from the bond measure would permit completion of the renovation at Applegate. School officials expect the bond measure to answer the district�s primary building needs for the next 20 years. "We don�t want anyone to get the idea that this $24 million bond will solve all the facility problems of the district," said Three Rivers School Board member Bill Bonville. Bonville added that the proposal would cover the district�s most crucial needs. Board members agreed that they needed to scale back plans from May�s bond defeat to satisfy more voters. In May, the measure lost by about 900 votes. "It was an incredibly narrow defeat," Barker said. If voters approve the new measure, district officials estimate that it would cost property owners 79 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation, or $79 a year for the owner of a $100,000 house. The bond would be repaid over 21 years. The largest projects proposed in the measure would be the replacement of two schools, Lorna Byrne Middle School, Cave Junction, and Fruitdale Elementary School, Grants Pass. Both schools are aging and would be too costly to repair, engineers have determined. In addition, the school board allotted funds for renovations and improvements at each of the district�s 13 other schools. All of the work relates to building safety, security and preservation. Engineers examined the buildings and found structural, electrical, heating and ventilation problems. At the Applegate School, engineers determined that the oldest portion of the school, a 90-year-old brick building, would pose a grave hazard to students and staff in an earthquake. Officials closed it permanently last spring, and moved in three portable structures this summer. Barker said the district would use $200,000 from the bond to complete the Applegate project. Covered walkways would be built connecting the portable buildings and a newer portion of the school, built in 1980. Also, new flooring would be installed, and the gym and cafeteria updated. 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