Construction of new Liberty-Benton school starts Monday

Construction of Liberty-Benton Local Schools' new prekindergarten through eighth-grade building is about to begin. "They're bringing in the bulldozers and we start moving dirt on Monday," said Superintendent Mark Kowalski. The 128,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed by spring 2023 and will be open for students, at the latest, by the start of the 2023-24 school year. Included in the construction is an 800-seat performing arts auditorium, also set to be completed by spring 2023. Renovations to Liberty-Benton High School, which are also part of the district's facility project, will begin next summer and be completed in the summer of 2023. The renovations, which total $5 million, include roof upgrades, technology and security improvements, and classroom changes. The improvements are meant to extend the life of the building. The district hosted an official groundbreaking ceremony for the construction on June 3. The $45.6 million project is in partnership with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The local share is $25,594,646, and the state share is $19,981,455. In May 2019, district voters approved a 35-year, 7.3-mill bond issue to fund the project. Of the 7.3 mills, 6.8 mills were for construction and a half-mill was for continuing maintenance. Collections, already at a reduced millage, began in January 2020. Reduced debt and good financing options helped to lower the millage. An existing bond issue for construction of the district's high school expired in January 2020. Voters had rejected two previous proposals, one in 2008 and another in 2013. The oldest part of the current elementary/middle school building is nearly 100 years old and is no longer big enough for all of its students. The building is supplemented by 10 modular units, the oldest two of which date to 1986. Grant: 419-427-8412