Havre voters to decide on trustees, projects

Havre voters will elect three school trustees when they go to the polls on May 7 and may decide whether to undertake a major renovation of the locker room area at Havre High School.

School Superintendent Andy Carlson said this morning the district has been looking for a long time at a proposal to upgrade the locker rooms.

The school board, at its April meeting, will decide which of three options to take:

• Ask voters to continue putting money into a reserve fund and plan on taking action on the locker room project down the road.
• Renovate the locker room area, which involves building an addition onto the existing school. That project has an estimated price tag of $1.7 million.
• Renovating the locker rooms while adding onto a fitness and wrestling practice area, which would probably cost an additional $750,000. The district would then look at closing and eventually selling the present wrestling practice building it owns at 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue.

That would put all of the district athletic facilities under one roof, he said.

Carlson said the district would already be breaking ground on the locker room extension if emergency problems had not arisen, especially the roof collapse.

One of the biggest arguments in favor of moving ahead with the project now is that interest rates are at an all-time low, Carlson said.

The district has long been looking at problems in the locker room area and want to resolve the issues, he said.

The board has left open the option for a referendum on a levy increase for the elementary school district, he said. But, he added, he would be surprised if there will be a need for the levy.

The three trustee seats to be decided in the election are:

• The three-year term now held by Norm Proctor
• A second three-year term held by Mark Magelssen
• A two-year term held by Theresa Miller. Miller was appointed to the board last year when no one ran for the seat.

None of the incumbents have said whether they will run for re-election.

Candidates can pick up petitions at the district clerk's office in the Robins School Administration Building. They must secure 20 signatures and return them to the district by March 28, District Clerk Mike Arnold said.

Voting will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Havre High School.

Issues that may be addressed at the May 7 election:

• Election of three trustees — The voting will take place if enough candidates run.
• A mill levy for the elementary school district — Superintendent Andy Carlson said it is unlikely the district will have to ask voters for the levy, but the board has left the option open.
• A high school building reserve — The board can ask that money be put into the reserve or that the district go ahead with plans to borrow money for the project.