(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam School District superintendent is thankful for the support of the community in passing a referendum question. Just over 52-percent of voters who cast a ballot supported the $107-million-dollar referendum with 47-percent opposed. Mark Distefano says the district is appreciative.
“Whether people voted to support it or not…just the amount of engagement that we had and people asking questions or reaching out to be come informed I think is just a wonderful reflection of our community and the choice that the majority of people made to support not just our kids today but our future generations,” says DiStefano. “It’s really moving…it’s really special…and we’re just so thankful.”
The funds will pay the cost of a school building and facility improvement project that consists of construction of a new middle school building and campus, including community and athletic space improvements. The referendum scope also includes the construction of additions, renovations, and building infrastructure improvements at Washington Elementary School.
District-wide improvements such as safety, security, and ADA accessibility will also be addressed.
DiStefano says over the coming months, meetings with key stakeholders will take place as the district moves forward with the project’s design phase.
“What people are going to see is us updating our website and our communications on a regular basis once we get into this holiday and post-holiday season…to really make sure that people know and understand the timelines and when they’re going to start to see the progress of their investment,” says DeStefano. “Probably the most immediate thing that folks will see is the work that’s going to be happening at Washington [Elementary] and some of the other smaller scale improvements here and there at different sites.”
DiStefano says the district will release community-wide communication on the next steps in the design process and how the construction management firm will work to engage local subcontractors.
