‘There is more competitive bidding and the margins are coming down. You would get more value for your $18 million today than you would have two years ago.’ — Wes Bettis

These are extremely difficult economic times, some say more trying than anytime since the 1930s.

Ironically, this could help the La Grande School District if voters approve the proposed $18.1 million bond for maintenance and construction on Nov. 4.

Wes Bettis, senior project manager for Engineered Structures Inc. of Boise, explained why Wednesday at a La Grande School Board work session. Bettis made a presentation at the meeting to help the school board evaluate its options for conducting construction projects if voters approve the bond.

Bettis said this is an excellent time to build because many contractors need projects due to the slowdown. Contractors are thus willing to work for a reduced profit margin. He said his firm and others are taking on projects for the same price or even less than they did two years ago.

“There is more competitive bidding and the margins are coming down. You would get more value for your $18 million today than you would have two years ago,’’ Bettis said.

One reason contractors can work for less is that many supply companies have inventory they cannot move because of the slow economy. The companies are thus willing to sell it for less.

“They have material they need to get off their shelves,’’ Bettis said.

The Idaho builder told the school board that because of things like this there is a possibility that the La Grande School District could get its bond projects done under budget.

“The need to keep people working is lowering the cost of construction,’’ he said.

Bettis lives in Middleton, Idaho, a community that is proving to be a source of hope for supporters of the La Grande School District’s bond. Voters in the Middleton School District overwhelmingly approved a $51.9 million construction bond on Sept. 20. Bettis said one reason for the bond’s passage was that Middleton’s high school burned down in February 2007. The community rallied to help get it rebuilt, a process completed this summer.

Bettis said that the community spirit generated by working together to restore the high school carried over to the bond election. The Middleton bond will pay for the construction of a new high school. The present high school will then become Middleton’s middle school.

It is the multi-million dollar question voters throughout the La Grande School District are asking.

How much of an economic stimulus would the La Grande School District’s proposed $18.1 million bond for maintenance and construction provide for the community?

Passage of the bond would add some sizzle to a struggling local economy, said Charlie Mitchell, the city of La Grande’s community and economic development director. The impact would be felt over the 2- to 3-year period that the maintenance and construction projects the bond would pay for are completed.

Mitchell said possibly 100 new jobs would be added. Many would be relatively high paying because the school district is a public entity, thus it is bound to the state’s prevailing wage law.

“They would be good jobs,’’ Mitchell said.

La Grande School District Plant Operations Director Gary Howland is not projecting how many jobs the bond would create. He notes though that money from the bond would provide steady employment for people such as tradesmen who often only work a portion of the year because of the seasonal demand for their services.

“I can’t say that 100 new jobs would be added but about 100 people who do not have steady work could be working continuously during this time,’’ Howland said.

He added that new jobs would be created, but he does not want to speculate on how many.

It is impossible to tell how much of a local impact the bond would have financially because it is not known how many local contractors would be hired. School district officials stress they would try to hire as many local firms for projects as possible. Mitchell noted that in some cases it may not be possible to hire locally because of bidding laws public agencies must adhere to.

Should several contractors from outside the area be hired, a significant amount of bond money would still work its way into the local economy. General contractors often have local firms to complete jobs for them, Mitchell said. A contractor in charge of classroom construction, for example, might hire local tradesmen for sheet rock, painting work and electrical work.

Contractors prefer local firms because they often cost less.The high expense of transporting heavy materials is one reason. The asphalt and concrete projects the bond would cover would thus likely be done by local contractors.

Should a contractor bring in outside workers it is important to realize that their presence would still help the local economy, Howland said. Gas, groceries and motel lodging are among the things outside workers pay for.

“This would cause a ripple through the local economy,’’ Howland said.

Colleen Johnson, an economics professor at EOU and mayor of La Grande, said it is important to note that the bond targets improvements in the school district’s infrastructure.

“So, we’re looking at real jobs being created, and those jobs in turn will create more jobs. The dollars that go to pay the construction workers or buy building supplies will then be used to buy groceries at Safeway, and in turn those dollars will support other businesses and workers. Over the next three years as the improvements are made, jobs will be created,’’ Johnson said.

Voters will decide on the bond levy on Nov. 4 when ballots for the mail election are due. Passage of the $18.1 million bond would raise tax rates $1.37 per $1,000 of assessed property value. This means the owner of a $140,000 home would pay about $192 a year for the bond over the course of 20 to 21 years.

Following are some of the major items the bond would cover at schools:

• La Grande High School: the repair of roofs of the east, south and west buildings; the replacement the gym floor and bleachers; the addition of 10 classroom doors; the replacement of door hardware to help with handicapped accessibility and the installation of energy efficient windows.

• Central Elementary School: the replacement of the heating system and windows to increase energy efficiency; the building of a larger library with a computer lab and the replacement of door hardware and upgrades of restrooms to improve handicapped accessibility.

• Island City Elementary School: The building and furnishing of eight classrooms, a cafeteria serving area, restrooms and a staff room; an upgrade of the fire alarm system and replacement of windows to improve energy efficiency.

• La Grande Middle School: the construction and furnishing of five classrooms; the installation of energy efficient windows; the addition of fire sprinklers and a security system; the addition of restrooms; the installation of a lift system, the replacement of door hardware and the upgrading of restrooms for improved handicapped accessibility.

• Greenwood Elementary School: the repair of the drainage system in the courtyard playground and paving the courtyard; the replacement of the flat roofs; the building of a canopy over the north exterior stairs and the installation of energy efficient windows.

Should voters reject the bond and the school district attempt to seek approval for another two years from now, voters would likely to be looking at a substantially higher price tag. Howland said it would cost an estimated $22.7 million two years from now to pay for the same things the present $18.1 million bond would cover. This is assuming an inflation rate of 1 percent a month.

The La Grande City Council decided via consensus Monday at a work session to vote at its next meeting on a resolution supporting the bond. Most of the six councilors present spoke in favor of the bond and none said they opposed it. Councilor Gary Lillard, who expressed reservations about the council supporting the bond at an earlier meeting, was not at Monday’s work session.

The $18.1 million bond would provide funding for maintenance and repairs and the construction of a total of 13 new classrooms at Island City Elementary and La Grande Middle School to accommodate an anticipated enrollment increase.

The council decided to vote on a resolution following presentations by several people including La Grande School District Superintendent Larry Glaze and Jan Harris, chairwoman of Citizens for School Renovation.

Glaze reviewed some of the major items bond funds would cover. One is replacement of the gym floor at La Grande High School. Glaze said a new floor is needed because the present one is built over concrete and is hard on students’ legs and backs. Many have developed shin splints because of the hard floor. Glaze said a mother recently told him that her daughter will not play basketball at LHS this winter because she has developed back problems from running on the hard gym floor.

Glaze said that the gym floor replacement has been made a priority because so many students use it at athletic events and during physical education classes.

Glaze also noted that the floor on the west side La Grande’s gym needs needs to be replaced because of water damage.

The superintendent also discussed how the bond would help Central Elementary by doing things such as provide for the construction of a new library and a computer center. Glaze said Central’s library is so cramped for space now there is not room for a computer center. Central is the only school in the district that does not have a computer center. The bond would also allow a larger principal’s office to be built at Central. The present one is little bigger than a closet and large enough for only two or three people, Glaze said.

At Greenwood Elementary, bond funds would be used for things such as the repair of the playground drainage system. The playground floods in the fall and winter. A reason may be that the playground is on top of the basement of the original Greenwood building, torn down in the early 1960s, Glaze said. Water is thus trapped in the old concrete basement.

The bond levy would cost property owners about $1.37 per $1,000 of assessed property value a year. This means that the owner of a $150,000 home would pay $205.50 in additional property taxes a year.

Additional taxes are not welcome during difficult financial times like these, but Glaze and Harris said that people need to realize that the bond would provide an economic stimulus to the community. They cited the construction work the school district would conduct over a two- or three-year period with bond funds. Glaze said that the district would try to hire as many local contractors as possible.

Harris also said that the bond would help the local economy by making the La Grande community more attractive to people thinking of moving their families here.

“If schools are shabby we are not going to attract the professional people we want,’’ Harris said.

She added that if the community passes the bond it will be saying that the community cares deeply about its young people and their schools.

“If we have pride in schools it ripples throughout the community,’’ Harris said.

She said that the consequences of a community not caring about its young people and their education include juvenile delinquency. Harris noted that it costs $169 a day to have a youth at the RiverBend Transitional Youth Program near Hilgard.

People in the community understand how important upgrading schools are to preventing juvenile delinquency, Harris said. It may be one reason why she senses increasing support for the bond. She noted that recently someone showed up with 25 signs supporting the bond and the individual was mobbed by community members who wanted them.

Councilor Les Balsiger is among those who spoke in support of the bond Monday.

Balsiger said that the bond is as important to the city as a sewer, a water system or a street paving project.

“It is part of the infrastructure,’’ Balsiger said.

He said he understands this first-hand after working in the 1980s in Wilsonville where he helped try to attract new businesses to the city. He said one of the first things businesses asked about was the quality of schools.

Councilor Steve Clements also spoke in support of the bond. Clements said people need to look at the bond as a means of strengthening their community.

“This is about investment. That is what it comes down to. ... We have to look at it as investment. People will get back value,’’ Clements said.

Glaze was asked about some of the concerns people have about the school district. One councilor asked Glaze about the concern people have about the closure of Willow Elementary in 2006. The superintendent said that closure of Willow, built in 1924, was a cost-saving measure. The district is saving about $200,000 a year in operating expenses because of the closure.

“In five years we will have saved $1 million more that we can spend on kids,’’ Glaze said.

The closure was also necessary because of falling enrollment, he said. The district has lost 729 students since 1992. This has had enormous impact on funding since school districts receive about $6,000 from the state per student. This means La Grande would be receiving  $4.3 million a year more if it had the same number of students it did in 1992.

“We can’t keep operating like we did 729 students ago,’’ Glaze said.

He said that the district is looking into opening Willow up to the public while exploring things such as lease options.

Harris said she can understand why people in the community are upset with Willow’s closure.

“Everyone has an emotional attachment to their neighborhood school,’’ Harris said.

She said that even if their school building is falling apart all around them people retain this emotional attachment. Harris said that people need to move past their emotions and look at what is best realistically for the school district and the community.

The city council will be asked to vote on a resolution in support of the bond at its Oct. 15 meeting.

Signs in front of La Grande school buildings spell out improvements that the proposed $18.1 million bond levy would bring to each school. - The Observer/PHIL BULLOCK

Middleton, Idaho, is suddenly on the forefront of the minds of active supporters of the La Grande School District’s proposed $18.1 million bond levy.

The reason: Middleton School District voters, in the face of a bad economy, voted Sept. 20 to approve a $51.9 million bond levy for the construction of a new high school. The election in Middleton, 25 miles north of Boise, was a landslide with 86 percent voter approval.

Supporters of the La Grande bond levy should be encouraged by such results, said Jan Harris during a meeting of Citizens For School Renovation Tuesday night at Island City’s City Hall. Harris is co-chair of Citizens For School Renovation, a community group leading the campaign for passage of La Grande’s school bond, which voters will decide Nov. 4. Harris believes La Grande bond supporters should draw hope from Middleton, which is experiencing many of the same economic challenges other communities are.

“It is nice to know that somewhere a community is passing a school bond,’’ Harris said.

She said that Middleton’s passage of the bond is an indication of its “strong commitment to kids and growth.’’

Middleton’s success is one of many reasons supporters of the La Grande School District’s measure should not give up despite shaky local and national economic conditions. Harris said she is hopeful that people will warm up to the bond if they understand things such as the possibility that economic conditions may be on the upturn by November 2009 when the first property tax bills from the bond would be due.

“We will have a new president and everything could be moving in a new direction,’’ Harris said.

The $18.1 million bond levy would cover the cost of renovation, repairs and capital construction. All are needed because of the deteriorating condition of the La Grande School District’s aging buildings.

“We have to preserve our investment. We would be fools not to,’’ Harris said.

Several people at Tuesday’s meeting said they must make it clear to voters that passage of the bond levy would have many positive spinoffs. For example, if passed the bond would bring $18 million into the local economy over a two- or three-year period, creating jobs and a financial surge.

“It would provide an economic stimulus,’’ said Corrine Dutto, a member of Citizens For School Renovation.

The bond would also help lay the foundation for future growth since good schools help attract professionals such as physicians, something essential for getting people to move here. Harris said that over the past several months two physicians who were considering moving their families to La Grande decided not to after seeing the poor condition of its public school buildings.

Losing physicians has a negative ripple effect on growth Harris said. She explained that when families are considering moving to a community it looks at three primary things — jobs, the quality of medical care and the quality of its schools.

The proposed bond would cost property owners about $1.37 per $1,000 of assessed property value a year for about 21 years. Several people at Tuesday’s meeting noted that one can never project a two-decade period of economic clear-sailing in which a 20-year bond would have the least impact of property owners. It has to be assumed that there will be one or more economic downturns each decade. People thus must focus on the future and not the immediate problems of the present, several people said.

The Observer/PHIL BULLOCK

“In the last 20 or 30 years there has never been a perfect time. We need to keep our eyes on the horizon,’’ said Will Mouat, co-chair of Citizens For School Renovation.

About 40 people attended Tuesday’s meeting. Few parents of elementary school students were at the meeting. Harris wants to get more elementary parents involved in supporting the bond.

“They will be blessed the most by the bond. We need to let the community see that people who will be benefiting from the bond are working for passage of the bond,’’ Harris said.

She hopes that parents and everyone in the community begin to view the bond as much more than a pocketbook issue.

“It isn’t just about money. It is about a commitment to kids,’’ Harris said.

Harris said that youths will feel better about themselves and their community if they see that adults are committed to providing good schools.

“If children have crowded classrooms and leaky roofs at school how do you think they feel the community feels about them?’’ Harris said. “And how do you think they will feel about the community?’’

By contrast, if children have good schools and see that the community cares about them they will feel valued and want to step forward and help when they are adults.

People who want to assist Citizens For School Renovation or learn more about it should go to www.lagrandeschoolbond.org .