Mineral Area College to ask voter approval for $8 million in bonds

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Mineral Area College in April will send an $8 million "no increase" bond issue to voters in the district it serves.

The community college, which has seen a spike in enrollment in recent years, is looking to upgrade its library, update and add to its science labs and expand student services at its Park Hills campus. The plan also calls for the construction of more classroom space at the college's Fredericktown, Mo., outreach center.

Mineral Area College officials say the bonds would not increase tax bills of property owners in the district the college serves.

Steven Kurtz, president of Mineral Area College, said the borrowing plan, approved by the community college's board of trustees late last week, is needed to expand a community college system that has seen a 25 percent enrollment increase over the past two years. More than 4,000 students are enrolled at the two-year institution.

"It's a good problem to have, and this is perfect timing because we need the room," Kurtz said.

The timing, Kurtz said, is right because the community college is set to pay off a series of bonds, opening up debt service levy capacity and allowing the school to ask voters to issue new bonds without increasing the levy.

"So the college is able to raise $8 million without raising our patron's taxing rate," the administrator said.

Residents in the college's taxing district, including a portion of Perry County, pay 13 cents per $100 of assessed value. That level would remain the same should voters approve the April bond issue. Declining debt obligations, however, ultimately mean a lower tax burden.

Mineral Area College spokeswoman Sarah Haas called the bond issue a "conservative plan" that would make a huge difference to the campus.

The proposal calls for upgrading technology in the library, making it more "student-friendly." Student services would be consolidated under one roof in an expanded building that would include two new science labs and five updated labs, Haas said.

A covered walkway connecting the library and the arts and sciences building would be constructed, and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility would be improved.

The plan also includes additional classroom space, a science lab and a community room at the Fredericktown outreach center.

The college has been down this road before. Voters rejected an $8 million bond issue in 2008, a measure that, if approved, would have attracted $8 million in state matching funds. That question would have raised the debt service levy by 5 cents per $100 of assessed value, Kurtz said.

The administrator said the college's goal is to educate voters. That public campaign is expected to begin in January.

mkittle@semissourian.com

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