Hills-Beaver Creek bond referendum passes with narrow margin

A little more than half of the Hills-Beaver Creek School District voters approved both bond referendum questions in a special election April 11.
Question No. 1, to build a new elementary school in Beaver Creek, passed with 53 percent approval. Vote totals were 345 “yes” and 311 “no.”
Question No. 2, to improve the Hugo Goehle gymnasium site in Hills, passed with 56 percent approval. Vote totals were 367 “yes” and 285 “no.”
Overall, 54 percent of the district’s registered voters cast ballots April 11.
The approved $29.975 million referendum means a new $26.5 million elementary school will be built in Beaver Creek and $3.475 million will be spent to expand the parking lot at the current secondary school, demolish the former high school in Hills, and improve the Hugo Goehle gymnasium site currently attached to the former school.
School board members canvassed the tabulated results by the Rock County Auditor’s Office vote during their regular meeting Monday night.
Members commented on the historically low turnout numbers.
Superintendent Todd Holthaus pointed out 237 fewer people voted in last week’s special election than in the 2009 special election to build the new secondary school.
Despite the low numbers, board members said they appreciated the positive vote and what the building projects will mean for the district.
“Now the work begins,” said Chairman Arlyn Gehrke. “With a positive outcome to both referendum questions, we can be more future-focused in our long-term building maintenance plans instead of piecemealing necessary upgrades together if the referendum was unsuccessful.
“We thank the H-BC district voters in supporting our long-term plans.”
Due to receiving a favorable review from the State Department of Education for the proposed referendum, the two questions needed a simple voter approval to pass.
Before the polls opened at 7 a.m., there were 1,186 registered voters in the H-BC district which includes the cities of Hills, Beaver Creek and Steen and all or portions of Martin, Clinton, Beaver Creek and Springwater townships.
A total of 657 ballots were cast on the day of the special election, including 29 voters who registered at the election site. Also included were 30 voters casting absentee votes.
Residents had two polling places in which to cast ballots until the 8 p.m. deadline.
Results were different between the two precincts.
Vote totals for Question No. 1 indicated 216 voted “yes” in the first precinct (Hills, Steen, Clinton and Martin townships) with 190 voting “no.”
In the second precinct (Beaver Creek, Springwater and Beaver Creek townships) results were 108 “yes” and 112 “no.”
Question No. 2 had 238 “yes” votes and 164 “no” votes in the first precinct. Second precinct votes had 109 “yes” votes and 111 “no” votes.
 
Elementary to open for 2025-26 school year
If construction goes as planned, the new H-BC Elementary School will be complete for the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Construction is expected to start in spring 2024.
Preston Euerle with R.A. Morton of St. Cloud is the construction manager.
He said the next couple of months will have the architects, AST&R out of Sioux Falls, preparing plans for the bid process, estimated to take place in October or November.
Demolition of the former high school is expected to be completed next summer.
The current elementary school in Beaver Creek is also slated for demolition once the new school is finished.
According to information presented at Monday’s school board meeting, bonds for the $29.975 million project will also be sold at two separate sales. The first sale will take place this spring or summer, with the second sale set for the first of the year.