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Advance RIV puts "Keep Advance Safe" proposal on April 7 ballot
After several months of discussion, the Advance Board of Education has opted to go to the voters for approval of a $1,850,000 bond issue to build an expanded FEMA Safe Room for the district.
After the Joplin tornado in 2011, the Advance School Board applied to FEMA for a grant to build a safe room. In 2014, the district was notified that they were eligible to receive $1,084,066 in funds, with a $441,934 match to equal a FEMA grant of $1,525,000 (one million five hundred twenty-five thousand).
The FEMA grant would pay for a 6,700 sq. ft. room, which would withstand wind speeds of 250 mph and a 7.2 earthquake. Included would be such "bare bones" features as bath rooms, a small office space, a standby generator, lighting, heating units and duct work.
According to FEMA safe room engineer, Brian Orr, this "bare bones" Safe Room would hold 1200 people--500 school children and staff and 500-700 residents. Since Advance has a population of 1347, there will be a large number of residents left outside, when the doors close.
In conferring with other schools who have built such safe rooms, it was also learned that most districts wished they had added to the funding, so they could get more daily use out of the structure.
The grant requires that the space have a designated use during the day.
Other schools also indicated that they should have added to the basic grant, in order to build hallways, so that the children did not have to run outside during a tornado.
For this reason, the Advance Board is asking for $1,850,000 (one million eight hundred fifty thousand dollars), which will be used to:
| * | Cover the $441,934 local matching for the grant. |
| * | Add 3000 sq. feet of additional FEMA "safe room" space. |
| * | Add Air-conditioning. |
| * | Construct a wood floor. |
| * | Add 2 additional classrooms. |
| * | Construct hallways to connect to the existing structure. |
| * | Finish off the room into a physical education room for elementary students, band concerts, and other performances. School board members emphasize that they are NOT building "another gym." Even though the primary purpose of the room is to provide safe shelter during dangerous weather, the grant specifies that the room be used for some purpose during the day. |
If the proposition is approved, the bonds will increase the local property tax by $0.17 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation. The current tax of $0.3774 will go up to $0.5474 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation. The total tax rate will go up from $3.3661 to $3.3561.
A home with a market value of $100,000 (assessed at 19% of value) would see an increase of $32.30 per year ($2.69 per month, 67 cents per week or 8 cents per day)
Farm land with productivity (Market) value of $100,000 (assessed at 12% of production value) would see an increase of $20.40 per year ($1.70 per month, 42 cents per week, or 6 cents per day).
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At the first informational meeting on Tuesday, March 17, Advance School Board member Ronnie Martin explained that the room could also be used as a warming center, such as is needed during floods.
As part of the FEMA Safe Room grant application, the district continued its participation in the Stoddard County Hazard Mitigation Response Plan. In the event case of a natural disaster or emergency, the Advance School District will partner with the American Red Cross and Federal Department of Homeland Security to provide shelter for those displaced from their homes. The FEMA Safe Room has a backup generator for just that purpose, and the Red Cross and Department of Homeland Security will provide bedding, food, and clothes for those in need.
It is estimated that 60 percent of the resident of the city do not have basements in which to find shelter during tornadoes, such as the one that struck Advance in 1963.
In order to explain the bond issue more thoroughly, the Advance District will hold informational meetings at the elementary school at 6 p.m. every Tuesday until the April 7 election.
Mitzie Seger, the Chair of the Proposition Keep Advance Safe Committee stated, "We want everyone to understand that this is really about keeping our community safe. This room will be a safe place not only for our students, but the entire community to go in times of tornadoes. The peace of mind this would bring will be worth a lot."
Seger went on to say, "The school and community are so dependent on each other in Advance. One really can't exist without the other. This is another opportunity for the community of Advance and the school to work together to benefit everyone. It's a win-win for both!"