On March 4, registered voters in Iowa will have the opportunity to decide on a proposed increase to the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL). The increase would raise property taxes by $0.67 per $1,000 of taxable property valuation to fund the construction of a new elementary school. Voting will take place at Elks Lodge from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
School district officials say the investment is critical to modernizing outdated facilities and ensuring students have access to a high-quality learning environment.
“We have buildings that need a lot of upgrades to be super efficient and to meet the needs of today’s kids for where they’re going tomorrow,” said Superintendent Lisa Beames. “To fix those buildings, we’re potentially well over the cost of building in elementary school.”
If the measure passes, the Ahrens Park Foundation has pledged to donate land for the new school.
“We felt that the only way that we could possibly get this type of thing [PPEL approval] achieved is by donating the land,” said Chad Nath, president and CEO of the Ahrens Park Foundation.
In recent weeks, the Grinnell-Newburg Board of Education has held a series of community educational sessions to discuss the proposal and address residents’ questions.
“As a parent who went through the last bond issue, there’s way more information available to the general public than there ever has been,” said Chris Grundler, vice president of the Grinnell-Newburg Board of Education.
Many residents see the measure as a much-needed investment in the town’s schools.
“I’m for that [PPEL approval],” said Debra Ermin, 72, who used to work at the closing Davis Elementary School. “I worked with a lot of them [students]. They deserve better.”
Others believe upgrades are long overdue.
“I’ll probably vote for it,” said William Crosby, 67. “All the facilities are old and need to be either replaced or revamped. So I think they need to do something, and to do something they need money.”
At a Feb. 11 community meeting, some attendees expressed concerns about unintended consequences, particularly the potential loss of resources currently located on the Ahrens-donated land.
“The draw to the community is a lot of those resources, is the parks, and financially, obviously, that’s going to have a cost to regenerate those things, and then also the time that’s taken to bring those services back, or those areas back,” said a community member who preferred to remain anonymous for electoral reasons.
Ahrens Park Foundation’s plans, however, are to ensure that those resources, such as the soccer fields, are not lost.
“There’s a commitment by the community partners to come together and resolve any of those issues,” Nath said. “There are some resolutions to some of those things that may be lost.”
“And you know, if someone says, ‘Hey, let’s do something,’ and the first thing you think of is, ‘Oh, me. How’s that affect me? Me, me, me,’ you’re in it for the wrong reasons. We should be thinking about one another, how we can help each other,” Nath said.
As it stands, the community needs 50% of votes to be in favor of the proposed increase for the PPEL to pass.
