Proposition Keep Advance Safe passes by wide margin

Voters in the Advance School District on Tuesday approved a $1.9 million bond issue for a storm shelter that will double as a gymnasium.

According to election results from Bollinger, Stoddard and Cape Girardeau counties, 434 voted in favor of Proposition Keep Advance Safe and 280 voted against.

A grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide about $1 million in federal funds for the project and requires a local district match of $441,934.

The 9,700-square-foot shelter will be constructed to withstand 250 mph winds and will be open to the community, with a capacity of about 1,700 people.

The debt requires a 17-cent increase in the debt-service levy, raising it from 37 cents to 54 cents per $100 of assessed valuation of real and personal property. That equates to an increase of about $32 a year for the owner of a $100,000 house, officials said.

Superintendent Stan Seiler thanked voters, as well as the Proposition Keep Advance Safe committee. The district's next step, he said, is to finalize the design of the shelter. Once the design is approved, the project will go out to bid.

Pertinent address:

School Street, Advance, Mo.