Challenge West Virginia

By Veronica Nett

The Charleston Gazette

WINFIELD, W.Va. — Putnam County residents Saturday approved the county’s largest-ever school bond and its first in 33 years.

County residents turned out in force to approve the $57 million school-bond plan, with 32 precincts voting yes and 16 against it.

“It’s taken a lot of years, and a lot of work just getting to this point,” said Deborah Phillips, a member of the board of education. “This is just a very positive feeling.”

With all 48 precincts counted, 5,141 voted for the bond and 4,029 against it.

This is the fourth proposed school bond to come before Putnam voters since 1976, the last time a bond was approved. Voters rejected proposed bonds for school improvements in 1993, 2001 and 2002.

Phillips said the board hopes to start renovation projects and construction on new facilities within the next nine months.

“Tomorrow wouldn’t be soon enough,” she said.

Phillips was moved to tears Saturday when told the bond had passed.

“People had to see that we did what we could with what we had, and we just needed this bond,” she said.

About 9,170 voters, almost 25 percent of the county’s 36,000 eligible voters, turned out to cast their ballots Saturday.

About 2,000 participated in early voting from Aug. 7 to 26.

The bond will pay for construction of three new schools - Poca Middle School, Confidence Elementary School and Buffalo High School. It will also pay to completely renovate Poca Elementary School and build three auxiliary gyms and a new gym for Winfield Elementary School.

The state School Building Authority has also said with the passage of the bond, the authority will provide $21.7 million for a new Winfield Middle School.

“The people in the community should be pleased with themselves, and pleased with the result,” Phillips said.

Groups formed for the bond - Community Schools Coalition to Catch-Up - and against it - Home Owners Protection Establishment - campaigned heavily toward their cause.

No one from HOPE could be reached late Saturday.

The votes in several precincts came in very close or tied. Voters at the Nitro Town precinct tied at 98 to 98; and Buffalo residents voted overwhelmingly for the bond by a margin of 302 to 59.

“The volunteers in [the Buffalo] area should be very proud of themselves,” Phillips said.

“This just wasn’t a few people, this was a lot of people working,” she said. “And now it’s our turn to finish it up.”

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