District officials said the next step is to contact the state to work out time lines and other logistics of the project.
“Today’s fifth-graders will be the first class of the new freshman school,” Otten said, adding that the district has looked at three sites so far for the new elementary, but has not made any decision yet.
In the meantime, the district will continue to “patch and Band-Aid” Central and Freshman for the next three years while the district finalizes and enacts its plans, Otten said. Students in those buildings celebrated the bond issue’s victory Wednesday morning, as “thank-you” messages to the community were placed on the marquees, said Central Principal Karrie Gallo.
At Central, students were especially demonstrative Wednesday morning, as they and the staff gathered in the gym to do the “Cha-cha Slide” dance.
“We just laughed and hugged, and we were just so excited. So needless to say, it was very positive today,” Gallo said.
The jubilant mood was also prevalent next door at the Freshman school, said Principal Larissa Smith.
“We are excited. It’s very surreal. It just doesn’t feel real yet. The staff members are very excited for a new building in a few years, and so are our students. Our students cheered this morning as well when I announced it over our PA system,” she said.
Voter turnout
The bond issue passed 58 to 42 percent Tuesday, holding roughly a 15 percent lead throughout the evening. That’s a 1,926-vote swing from the 31-vote loss in the November election. Last November, the bond issue failed by 31 votes.
“We had more than one person say they didn’t go to vote in the fall because they thought it was a no-brainer,” Tracy Ruberg, the head of the bond issue committee, said. “It’s pretty significant to have that many come out and swing the vote … I think it was a continual education process.”
Breakdowns from the Butler County Board of Elections show that the precincts voting down the levy were mostly on the north and west sides of the city, and the northern end of Fairfield Twp.
Of the 57 precincts in the school district that covers Fairfield and Fairfield Twp., 45 supported the levy – and in 19 of those 45 precincts the “yes” votes outweighed the “no” votes by at least 50.
In November, 11 of the 19 precincts in Fairfield Twp. voted against the levy. However, in Tuesday’s election, 13 of the 19 precincts in the township supported the levy.
In November, 15 of the 38 precincts in the city of Fairfield voted against the levy. However, in Tuesday’s election, 6 of 38 did not support the levy.
Overall turnout in Butler County was lower than elections officials had expected, at 17 percent. Turnout in the Fairfield district precincts ranged from 9 percent to 45 percent. The numbers were similar in the November election, ranging from 9 percent to 49 percent
Changes going forward
Officials have said the most pressing maintenance need at Freshman is a new roof. Smith said most likely the district will patch leaks instead of replacing the roof, since the building will be demolished.
“There’s still some maintenance items that need to be done,” Gallo said. “But as far as trying to overhaul the entire building, obviously we don’t need to worry about that anymore, knowing we can make it the next couple of years while they’re building the new buildings.”
Tom Weiser, the district’s director of business operations, said that with the district knowing the buildings will only be in place for a limited time, the maintenance will be reevaluated. Roof repairs for example, would be limited to work that will last only a few years.
A suggestion has already been made as to what to name the additional elementary building. On the district’s Facebook page, resident Mark Wilhelm posted: “We have north, south, east, west and central. To be honest, I think naming it after someone who was loved in not only Fairfield/Hamilton but all of Cincinnati would be great. (Joe) Nuxhall Elementary would be great as part of this area’s history.”
The district responded that it would share that idea.
Staff writer Michael D. Pitman contributed to this report.
About the Author