Sherburne passes $25.2 million building project

SHERBURNE – Tuesday’s vote on Sherburne-Earlville’s $25.2 million building improvement proved to be successful for the school district. The referendum, proposing a project that administrators say will address the current and future needs of the district, passed by a margin of 246 to 78.

The project calls for many improvements to the schools infrastructure, energy efficiency, security and over all capacity of the 37-year-old high school / middle school and 11-year-old elementary school.

According to Assistant Superintendent Thomas Strain, there are many important components to the plan, including the addition of a geothermal energy system.

According to information provided by the school, the biggest single expenditure area in the plan would be in the area of energy efficiency. The installation of the geothermal energy system falls into that component. The system will have a dual purpose, heating the building in the winter months and cooling it in the summer. The plan also calls for the replacement of all of the windows and doors in the high school / middle school building with high efficiency alternates.

The plan also calls for the addition of a band room in the elementary building and the expansion or the band and choral rehearsal rooms in the high school/ middle school. “As a musician – and former music teacher – I’d be happy to see the new elementary band room and improvements in the music wing in the middle school / high school building,” Strain said when asked what he thought the most important aspects of the project were. “ADA (American Disability Act) issues are important, as well as student safety and security,” Strain added.