Canadian Valley Technology Center

**Plutonic Panda** · 04-02-2014, 05:10 PM

This is good.

Voters Approve $12M For Canadian Valley Tech Center

Posted: Apr 02, 2014 4:53 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 02, 2014 4:53 PM CDT
By Michael Konopasek, News 9

EL RENO, Oklahoma - The vocational-technical school that bore the brunt of America's widest tornado has cleared a major hurdle in its rebuilding process.
Voters approved a $12 million bond issue to help fund the construction of the new Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno.

Since the tornado, students have been taking classes at a former car dealership in Yukon. Those students are making their current space work while looking forward to a bright future. The skeleton of the old technology center will stay as a total of $45.7 million is set to be poured into the El Reno campus. Superintendent Greg Winters has his eyes set on 2016.

"We're building the safest technology center in America," Winters said.

It's a center officials hope will provide peace of mind. Before the 2013 tornado hit, 15 people took shelter in a basement area as walls above them were blown away. On the horizon for the future building are five safe rooms big enough to hold 1,200 people, according to Winters. Also, what was a campus of nine buildings will turn into a campus of two larger buildings.

"I'm real excited to see how the new buildings [are] going to really look," alumnus Jacob Cornwell said.

The safety upgrade was a main reason for the $12 million in extra funding. Insurance is covering $33.7 million, according to district officials. Winters stresses the money is not so much a cost for taxpayers as an investment in Oklahoma's economy.

Winters says 70 percent of American jobs in the next 20 to 40 years are jobs students train for at vocational-technical schools.

"Oklahoma's career tech system is considered to be the very best system in the country," said Winters. "There's nobody that come close to us."

Nearly 63 percent of voters approved the bond issue. The new buildings are expected to be complete by 2016.

- Voters Approve $12M For Canadian Valley Tech Center - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

**stick47** · 04-03-2014, 06:23 AM

Wow! Less than 3,500 votes. I voted no b/c my property taxes are too high now. With the recent Mustang school bond issue added, this has raised mine over $100/yr.

**Zuplar** · 04-03-2014, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by stick47

Wow! Less than 3,500 votes. I voted no b/c my property taxes are too high now. With the recent Mustang school bond issue added, this has raised mine over $100/yr.

And didn't the school superintendent originally say it wasn't going to raise taxes at all because of other debt they were retiring?

**stick47** · 04-03-2014, 12:13 PM

It doesn't make much difference what they say when what they do is not intended to get everyone out to vote. I think they learned to keep mum about bond issues when they didn't get their $7 million dollar bond passed to build those dirt baseball fields that the realtors wanted.

**Zuplar** · 04-03-2014, 01:26 PM

My parents complain about their property taxes all the time, they live in Mustang. Mine are just about as terrible, and I live on the other side of the line, Cleveland county. Mine actually might be worse so I tell them to stop complaining, lol.

**Plutonic Panda** · 04-03-2014, 04:34 PM

Well, I don't live there, but I think this will be nice facility to have and I'm glad it passed. It is always nice to see new educational facilities spring up.

**stick47** · 04-11-2014, 11:18 AM

KFOR story on Canadian Cty Property Taxes

?It?s sticker shock,? Changes to property taxes have Oklahoma residents fuming | KFOR.com

**Zuplar** · 04-11-2014, 12:48 PM

Yeah I'm guessing assessments just went out because people at my work were complaining. Seems like everyone I know is having their property raised the max. Some doesn't add up IMO.

**MustangGT** · 04-11-2014, 01:11 PM

Excellent. I has to be replaced.

**Plutonic Panda** · 04-19-2014, 01:09 PM

From their website:

EL RENO -- Nearly 63 percent of voters supported Canadian Valley Technology Center's bond issue election that will help rebuild the El Reno Campus that was destroyed by a May 31, 2013 tornado.

Slightly more than 3,400 people voted district-wide in Tuesday's election, which spanned 93 precincts in mostly Canadian and Grady counties. Among those, more than 2,150 cast ballots in support of the $12 million proposal that effectively bridges the gap between the school's insurance settlement and anticipated reconstruction costs.

The successful bond issue will result in a slight increase in property taxes. The increase will be roughly 80 to 90 cents on property valued at $100,000, said Superintendent Dr. Greg Winters.

"We appreciate folks getting out and supporting Canadian Valley to get the school rebuilt," Winters said. "I am proud of the turnout and that voters strongly supported us."

[QUOTE

]Skeletal steel and concrete was salvaged in parts of two buildings

, and the school's Business and Industry Services division on the extreme west end of the campus was reconstructed a few months after the storm.

Winters said the school was fully insured, but construction estimates are nearly $45 million, due to needed code improvements, the cost of the safe rooms, landscaping, driveways and parking lots. Reconstruction is expected to be complete by Fall 2016.

That left a $12 million gap between the settlement and the total cost to rebuild. The bond expires after 10 years.

Construction bids will be reviewed this month for the district's central administrative building on the north edge of the El Reno Campus. The larger structure, known as Building 100, will follow afterward. All construction is expected to be complete by Fall 2016.

- Voters approve bond issue to rebuild El Reno Campus | Canadian Valley Technology Center [/QUOTE]