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Fort Mill board approves $10.25 million bond package for facilities, buses and traffic signal
Summary
The Fort Mill School Board approved a not-to-exceed $10.25 million general obligation bond resolution to fund projects including additional costs at Nation Ford, a Gold Hill Middle band facility, five replacement buses, a traffic signal at Catawba Ridge High and classroom renovations; the board said debt millage will not increase.
The Fort Mill School Board voted to approve a general obligation bond issue not to exceed $10,250,000 to fund a set of district capital projects, administrators said.
Leanne Lordo summarized the package, saying roughly $6.826 million of the proposed proceeds would cover five higher-cost items: approximately $2.5 million to complete cost-overruns at the Nation Ford High weight-room project (steel costs, required fire-access work, a larger transformer and retaining-wall changes), about $2.525 million to build a new band facility at Gold Hill Middle School to accommodate an unusually large band population, roughly $860,000 for five replacement buses (three regular, two special‑needs‑equipped), about $340,175 for a traffic signal at Catawba Ridge High School, and $600,000 to renovate and repurpose four classrooms for special‑services programs.
Board members asked about alternative funding, the district's aging bus fleet, project prioritization and whether the district could avoid raising debt millage. Lordo and financial advisors said the bond plan was structured to avoid a debt-millage increase; administrators reported the district would remain at 86 mills for debt on October tax bills and said they were hopeful assessed values could lower the millage later.
After discussion, a board member moved and a seconded the resolution to issue up to $10.25 million in bonds; the board approved the motion by voice vote and 7.03 carried.
What it funds: the resolution covers a mixture of urgent facility repairs, capacity projects and transportation needs across the district; administrators said the list was pared back from a larger set of requests and prioritized to meet pressing needs without increasing the debt millage.
What happens next: administration will proceed with bond issuance steps (legal, rating and closing costs were reflected in the not-to-exceed amount) and return with implementation timetables and procurement steps for each project.
