LOLO — School officials in Lolo have their eyes set on a new location for their school -- a space that would allow for all students to be under the same roof, be located off the highway, and have plenty of room for growth and expansion.
The only thing stopping them from meeting this goal is getting the community on board. Residents will soon find ballots in the mail for two proposals; one to build a new K-8 school off of Farm Lane, and a second to sell the current school property.
The current Lolo School campus is made of six buildings which officials say poses a number of problems that would cost millions of dollars to fix. Those problems can be seen across the board -- from access and safety to efficiency and room for growth.
Lolo School Board chair Jen Hickes said the new building would tackle all of those issues. “This package represents that it's really something that's an investment for future generations of Lolo, at the most cost-effective way that we can possibly do it for the taxpayer."
But not everyone in the Lolo community is on board with the project and at the most recent community planning meeting on Tuesday evening, a handful of people expressed concern over the cost of the proposal. If passed, the bond would increase taxes by about $185 per year on a $100,000 home.
“I've paid for all their bonds, I wanna know what they're gonna do for me now," community member Scott Madgwick said. "I can't afford to give them more money. I’m retired, but I'm gonna have to go out and get a job.”
Lolo voters are encouraged to return their ballots by Sept. 22, 2020. You can read up on the project details here.
