Arrowhead UHS School District trustees agreed at a July facilities workshop to open formal talks with the Village of Hartland about annexation and a long‑term partnership to develop shared recreation facilities, including a competition‑grade pool and multi‑use athletic space.

The board’s discussion, which included Village President Jeff Banerstone and village business/finance manager Ryan Bailey, focused on whether annexation could make a joint indoor recreation center financially feasible by pooling borrowing capacity, sharing operational costs and letting Arrowhead residents access village facilities at the village resident rate. Banerstone said the village would guide an annexation process and noted it could take several months: “Ryan would discuss with me. That puts you on the agenda,” and he described public‑hearing and waiting‑period steps the village expects to complete.

Why it matters: Arrowhead is confronting urgent building‑system needs while trustees weigh whether a standalone referendum is the right route. Board members said a partnership with the village could reduce up‑front capital burdens for Arrowhead taxpayers by allowing the district to lease time or pay a long‑term usage fee for shared facilities rather than borrowing the full cost alone.

Most of the board’s questions centered on who would pay for construction and operations, how usage would be scheduled for school programs versus public access, and what legal and tax arrangements would look like. Banerstone described one possible model in which Arrowhead would pay a long‑term fee for use of a village‑built pool, saying a 20‑ to 25‑year payment stream could allow construction of a facility built to competition standards without Arrowhead fronting the full capital cost. He warned that village construction standards and higher requirements for some items could affect costs and timelines if facilities were built on village property. Ryan Bailey said the village would work with its attorney and Arrowhead’s counsel to draft any annexation proposal and suggested a roughly six‑month external timeline after a board signal to initiate the process.

Board directions and next steps recorded during the meeting included requests for cost and contract detail: trustees asked Hartland staff to provide a comparable contract for school‑resource officer (SRO) services, operational estimates for running a joint facility, and sample borrowing/repayment scenarios tied to a potential joint project. Trustees directed legal counsel to seek advice on legal fees and annexation mechanics; the board chair offered to approach Banerstone about scheduling a meeting between the full Arrowhead board and the Hartland board. Several trustees said annexation would be one early step and would not immediately resolve all Arrowhead facility needs.

Quotes from participants appeared throughout the discussion. Jeff Banerstone said, “If you were annexed then, we wanted to partner and because I know there's — we've had a bunch of people approach us with an appetite for indoor volleyball, baseball, wrestling, for everything.” Ryan Bailey described procedural steps for annexation: “You would contact Ryan. Ryan would discuss with me. That puts you on the agenda.”

Ending: The board did not adopt any formal ordinance or vote on annexation at the workshop. Instead trustees directed staff to gather cost estimates, SRO contract details and legal guidance, and to schedule a meeting with the Hartland board (the chair said he would reach out to Banerstone). A Building & Grounds committee meeting and an August timeframe were discussed as potential next milestones; trustees said they will revisit annexation and partnership information before deciding whether to pursue a referendum or other capital plan.