Voters in the Fennimore Community School District on Tuesday overwhelmingly supported a referendum that will result in a renovation and addition to Fennimore Middle/High School, as well as security upgrades at Fennimore Elementary School.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, the tally at the Fennimore Community School District’s district office was 1,025 votes in favor of the referendum question, with 202 votes opposed. In the City of Fennimore, 682 people voted in favor, with 97 votes in opposition.

Voters were asked to approve authorizing no more than $5,890,000 in general obligation bonds to fund the proposed renovation. An additional $500,000 of fund balance reserves would also be utilized.

The proposed renovation that will result includes a new lobby/commons area at the middle/high school and a new office. The addition of eight classrooms is proposed, as is a new gymnasium. The new gymnasium would be built adjacent to the existing middle/high school gymnasium, in essence creating a barrier between the middle school and high school portions of the building. Security upgrades will be made at Fennimore Elementary School as well.

“I think there are a couple of reasons for this outcome,” Fennimore Community Schools District Administrator Jamie Nutter said Tuesday night. “I think the first is the amount of volunteers and parents who were excited about this opportunity.
“I think all the needs lined up, and for those who may not have been necessarily excited about the opportunities, they knew that financially, this made a lot of sense.”

For more, turn to the April 3 edition of the Fennimore Times.