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Somers-Lakeside School District to Float $15.8 Million Bond Request

If approved, the bond would replace parts of the middle school that were built in 1953

By Dillon Tabish
Students eat lunch at Somers Middle School in the cafeteria where tiles are peeling off the floor on April 16, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

The Somers-Lakeside School District #29 board of trustees unanimously approved moving forward with a $15.8 million bond request to rebuild part of Somers Middle School.

The school board voted June 19 to ask voters in the district to approve the general obligation bond in an Oct. 24 mail-in ballot election.

If approved, the bond would replace parts of the middle school that were built in 1953 and have become antiquated and plagued with persistent maintenance needs, according to school officials. Voters in 2015 approved a general fund mill levy worth $185,000 annually that directed a majority of funds at deferred maintenance at the middle school, including asbestos removal.

“It’s like owning a really old car. You reach a point where little fixes are not cost effective,” Joe Price, district superintendent, said.

Price said the school has plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation issues, as well as well-known problems such as the undersized carpeted gym and a lack of classroom space for courses such as science and shop.

The enrollment at the middle school is 180 in sixth-through-eighth grade, Price said. The bond would allow the school to accommodate more students with a new section of school built onto the newer part of the facility that was constructed in 1993.

If voters approve the 20-year bond, property taxes would increase roughly $160 annually on a home with a taxable value of $200,000, according to school officials.