Heron Lake-Okabena schools ask taxpayers for $2.5 million for roof replacement, other maintenance
Jul. 28—HERON LAKE — With a slate of planned repairs for both of its schools, Heron Lake-Okabena School District will ask its voters for $2.5 million during an upcoming special election Aug. 8.
"The good news is, if it passes, there'll be no changes in anyone's taxes," said HL-O Superintendent Paul Bang.
That's because previous levies will be complete at the same time the new one is set to begin, meaning the school district will collect the same amount as it did the prior year. In addition, agricultural landowners will still benefit from the Ag2School tax credit, for which the state covers at least 70% of the agricultural land tax impact.
"We call it being tax-neutral," Bang explained. "We're not asking for additional money. We're just asking to keep paying what they're currently paying so we can get the roof put on."
While funds from the levy will go toward a number of projects, the largest portion, $1.6 million, would go toward a roof on the newest section of Heron Lake-Okabena High School — the piece built in 2000.
The roof had an estimated life expectancy of 20 years, and at 23, it's definitely seen better days. Leaks have infiltrated the building, causing minor damage to ceiling tiles, drywall and some ceiling infrastructure, Bang said. Workers have been hired to plug the leaks and repair the roof so that major damage isn't done, but that work does typically cost about $10,000 per year.
"That's a substantial cost there," the superintendent said, noting that if the referendum passes, the school won't have to keep repeatedly paying to fix the roof.
The remainder of the requested funds would go toward other maintenance work, including tuckpointing and cement work at both buildings, repair and maintenance of the Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary School's building envelope, flooring at the high school and replacing the old pool filtering system at the elementary school.
Fixing the elementary school's building envelope could potentially include working on its windows, which date from the 1950s — and consultants have told Bang that the school would see significant operational savings by updating the windows.
If the referendum fails, Bang said he'd likely ask the taxpayers for help again, as the roof would still need to be replaced. If it fails again and the roof still isn't replaced, eventually it could potentially mean asking if people don't want to continue having a school.
"Every other district around us has higher referendums out there for buildings than us, so it's not a big ask, I believe," Bang said, emphasizing the project is still tax-neutral.
Taxpayers in the HL-O school district may visit
ehlers-inc.com/microsite/2023hl-o/
to find their tax impact.
More information is available from the school's website at
Bang encouraged people with questions to contact him or any school board member.
Voting will be in person from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 8, at the Heron Lake Community Center, 312 10th St., Heron Lake. Absentee ballots may be requested at the Minnesota Secretary of State's website or picked up at the Jackson County Courthouse.
