Lyon County School District seeks $25 million bond

Lyon County school officials will ask voters to approve a $25 million bond in this year's election to build a new high school and make other improvements within the district.

Superintendent Nat Lommori said he thinks the chances of passing the bond are good because the 1994 bond is retired, so the tax rate will remain at the current 59 cents for $100 of assessed property value.

"We've always had a very supportive public," Lommori said.

The owner of a $100,000 home in Lyon County is now paying $206.50 a year in school construction property tax. The 75-cent school support property tax costs such homeowners $262.50 a year.

The largest project is a proposed high school in Silver Springs that would open in 2002 and cost about $11 million to build.

Lommori said about 400 students in that area now would attend the high school, but it would be built to accommodate about 1,500.

"A lot of people don't realize how fast that area is growing," he said.

Traditionally, Silver Springs students go to high school in either Fernley or Dayton.

"Two-thirds will usually go to Fernley and about a third of them will go to Dayton," Lommori said.

He said a high school in Silver Springs would do more than educate the students.

"Like in any community, the high school would become the focal point," he said. "It gives them more of a sense of community."

Lommori said the district will not delay construction on the new high school if voters give the go-ahead on Nov. 7.

"If we pass the bond on the 7th, we'll start planning the high school on the 8th," he said.

If the bond is approved, it would bring to five the number of high schools in Lyon County.

The bond would also accommodate growth in other areas of the county.

Eight- to 10-classroom wings would be added to Dayton Intermediate School, Dayton High School and Fernley High School for a cost of about $1.2 million each. A 12- to 16-classroom wing would be added to Fernley Intermediate School for $1.85 million.

The growth rate for the district for the last two years has been about 3 percent. The three years before that, the growth rate was about 8 percent.

About $300,000 would go to build a joint-use library with Lyon County and Smith Valley schools.

"It's really important for the whole district to have good facilities and safe facilities," Lommori said.

Other projects include new gyms, locker rooms and lighted parking lots.

The last Lyon school bond, which passed in 1994 for $15.8 million, built Sutro Elementary School and made additions to Dayton and Fernley high schools.

The bond question is expected to be set at a July 11 school board meeting.

Estimated costs at each school:

Dayton:

Sutro Elementary School - $52,000

Dayton Elementary School - $65,000

Dayton Intermediate School - $1.6 million

Dayton High School - $2.4 million

Fernley:

Cottonwood Elementary School - $25,000

Fernley Elementary School - $325,000

Fernley Intermediate School - $2.2 million

Fernley High School - $2.5 million

Silver Springs:

Silver Springs Elementary School - $860,000

Silver Springs Middle School - $1.2 million

Silver Springs High School - $11 million

Yerington:

Yerington Elementary School - $58,000

Yerington Intermediate School - $870,000

Yerington High School - $785,000

Smith Valley:

Smith Valley Elementary - $1 million