Kingston New Gymnasium & Upgrades To 3 Campus Buildings Vote Is Here

The Kingston K-14 Board of Education voted unanimously on January 20th to place a no-tax-increase general obligation bond issue on the April ballot to be used for the construction of a new gymnasium complex and capital upgrades to three buildings that were completed at various times throughout the history of the district.

The district will refinance existing bonds to build and furnish an additional campus gymnasium. K-14 is asking district voters to approve bonds totaling $3.35 million for construction of a gymnasium complex. Taxes will not go down if the measure fails, because Kingston will continue to pay off debt related to the construction of Kingston Elementary finished in 2013, and Kingston Primary finished in 2003. The district adjusted debt service levy will remain unchanged at $0.9895 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation of real and personal property. Kingston has not raised its levy in the past 15 years.

NEW HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM CONSTRUCTION

A high school gymnasium complex with new band and choir classrooms will be built behind the current high school, with inside access and public outdoor access with parking. The new gymnasium will seat 800+ people and will include locker rooms, a lobby with a mezzanine, and additional bathrooms to support the classroom and locker room spaces, as well as rest rooms for public use. An extra gymnasium means easier access for St. Joachim, and other community organizations, plus space to hold MSHSAA sanctioned district events. The existing high school gymnasium was built for the K-8 district and completed in 1985. It seats roughly 400 people.
VISUAL ARTS “D” BUILDING REMODELING
Federal ESSER funds ($2.4 million Covid-19 money), will be used for the safety and facility upgrades for the cafeteria and D Building. The high school (1996) “Commons” will have inside access to the “D” fine arts building (1987) and new student and staff rest rooms. Two art classrooms will be reconfigured and remodeled with a large storage space. Students will no longer have to walk outside to access the visual arts wing. The district has been concerned about the safety of students moving from class to class. A large classroom space in the junior high will become open with the moving of both art classrooms to D Building.
CAFETERIA UPGRADES AND RENOVATIONS

The (1956) cafeteria will have a larger seating capacity with the reconfiguration of the kitchen area and demolition of existing bathrooms. Seating capacity will be improved to 300. Two serving lines will be utilized in dedicated space with a kitchen remodel. The kitchen will be moved into a renovated space. The changes in the cafeteria area will also allow the district to have more food storage and equipment space, and will open up the large room for extended multi-purpose events.
“District growth doesn’t just mean numbers of students,” said Kingston K-14 Superintendent Dr. Lee Ann Wallace. “A successful bond issue will open up possibilities for expanded spaces such as a robotics classroom. The cafeteria is simply inadequate for the number of students that we currently serve. Our fine arts programs keep expanding and we need more space for physical education.”
“A successful bond issue will address our pressing needs for space and security, and position us for expansion of junior high and high school programs,” said Wallace. “Our future is now.”