Moberly School District eyes storm shelter, upgrades in April bond vote
Mitchell Kaminski
MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Moberly School District is looking to add a storm shelter as part of a slew of planned renovations, but will need help from Randolph County voters on April 7 to do it.
In December, the Moberly Board of Education approved language to add a ballot measure that would authorize the issuance of $11.5 million in bonds to the district for facility improvements. The district is prioritizing adding a storm shelter and locker rooms to Spartan Fieldhouse and renovations to the middle school and elementary school buildings.
“Just as the athletics side of it, we’re able to get locker rooms that are attached to the fieldhouse,” Moberly Director of Activities Anthony Vestal said. “Right now we’re still using our other locker rooms, which is a little bit to get through the Spartan way here. But attaching that here would be huge.”
Under the ballot language, if the measure is approved, the bonds would not increase the current property tax levy of $1.143 per $100 of assessed value.
According to Moberly Superintendent Cristina Wright, the measure would renew an existing bond issue that is on a five-year cycle, allowing the district to continue making improvements without raising taxes.
“That money is earmarked for that purpose alone. It cannot be transferred over to teacher salaries or school supplies and vice versa,” Wright told ABC 17 News. “Our operating budget would have to be used if it were not approved to cover things like renovations and construction, which would be really prohibitive for us with a district this size and eight school sites.”
During the 2021 bond issue, the district used the funds to expand its Early Childhood Learning Center, build the Alternative Center for Educational Success, and build the Spartan Fieldhouse, a $7 million facility that opened last February.
“We wanted to build the biggest building we could with the money that we had,” Vestal said. “Everyone has had great things to say about it. You know, they come in here, they look at the facility, and it’s just kind of the wow factor. You know, our LED scoreboard is second to none in the state of Missouri. The seating on all four sides. I think it’s a place that we’ve set the bar high.”
The Spartan Fieldhouse is now the center of the district’s plans, if the measure is approved. According to Wright, adding a storm shelter has been part of the plan since the facility was first designed.
“This was designed as Phase 2 from the beginning of the concept for this field house in Phase 1. So [it was] always an idea. This is a special-event space right now, based on building code. So that means that approximately 1,600 people can fit into this space, but it can’t be used during the school day because it’s a special-event space without a storm shelter,” Wright said. “So, by adding this storm shelter with enough square footage for everyone that might be in attendance, we are able to then have that much space to tuck folks away in a very safe spot.”
The City of Moberly does not maintain a public storm shelter system, but officials have not yet determined if the shelter will be open to the public, if inclement weather hits.
“It’s in discussion, and we would need to iron that out with the city of Moberly just for our practice and protocol,” Wright said. “But it certainly is part of the discussion.”
However, City of Moberly spokesman Scott McGarvey said there have been no discussions with the city or other entities about constructing or operating a public storm shelter.
But Wright also said a new storm shelter would also allow the district to use the Spartan Fieldhouse to host classes during the school day.
“We have emergency operating plans or EOP, and right now we’re sheltering in place for high winds or tornadoes,” Wright said. “But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t places where there’s glass or there are doors, and those have to be considered in how much space we have to tuck students away.”
If voters approve the bond, the district says construction could begin this summer, with work starting shortly after the school year ends.
“The biggest benefit is if we have high winds or a tornado, we have a place to put students and staff and visitors who might be here for a special event. And since we’re hosting events that take a large number of community members,1,600 is a large number inside our community, we can offer that safety aspect,” Wright said. “So it really is a huge benefit to everyone, especially if they’re coming to support our students in contests, whether they be athletic or otherwise.”