Riesel Independent School District can pursue the means to work on new buildings, buses, ball fields and more after voters approved a $25 million bond issue Saturday.

The bond issue garnered 316 votes for and 70 votes against.

“The key thing is getting the right kind of information out to the community and letting them have a say in it,” Riesel ISD Superintendent Steve Clugston said.

The money will go toward:

*  A new junior high and high school building for the roughly 310 seventh- through 12th-graders;

*  A new administration building;

*  Two new buses;

*  A new softball field; and,

*  Replacing the baseball field and weight room.

The district also hopes to build a new vocational agriculture facility, a larger gym at the elementary school and a covered student drop-off area at the elementary as well as refurbish the track.

Clugston said the district may take on additional projects as funds allow.

The bond will increase taxes 17 cents per $100 valuation. The increase to the average Riesel homestead will be about $11 a month. The school district’s current tax rate is just under $1.15 per $100 of value.

A committee of community members and district employees has been meeting for more than a year, compiling a list of needs.

Riesel ISD officials said now is the perfect time to seek a bond, with the district’s tax base getting ready to expand as Sandy Creek Power Plant moves to the area. The power plant will come close to paying 80 to 85 percent of the bond, Riesel ISD trustee John Ballman said.

wgragg@wacotrib.com

757-6901

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