District leadership’s plan to renovate the aging school and athletic facilities of Dowagiac Union Schools took a major step forward on its path toward a public vote Tuesday evening.

The members of the Dowagiac Union School Board of Education voted 7-0 to approve a pair of bond proposals intended to raise nearly $40 million for building improvements during a special meeting held at Dowagiac Middle School that evening.

With the school board’s approval, the district will present the bond application for approval to the state treasury, with the goal of having the proposals up for vote by district residents during the Nov. 3 election.

The first of the two approved proposals calls for a millage increase of no more than 2.5 mills over a period of 24 years and nine months, intended to raise $27 million for a complete overhaul of Dowagiac Union High School, including the installation of a building wide air-conditioning system, secure entry vestibule, improved access for people with disabilities, and the installation of new furniture and technology. The bond will also fund the installation of new HVAC and entry areas for the district’s four elementary school buildings, as well construction of ADA bleachers at Chris Taylor Alumni Field.

The second bond proposal calls for a millage increase of no more 1 mill for 19 years, and would raise $12.5 million to fund additional renovations the elementary buildings and football stadium, as well the construction of a new competition gym outside at the high school.

If both proposals are passed, then owners of a home with an appraised value of $80,000 (which would have a taxable value of $40,000) can expect to pay an extra $140 a year, or $2.69 per week, explained Superintendent Paul Hartsig.

The pair of proposals was developed over the last several weeks by a committee comprised of members of the local community, following the recommendations of a district-wide survey released to the public in April. Several members of that committee were in attendance during the board meeting Tuesday, sharing their thoughts and concerns about the proposals.

One of the issues that raised during the public comment portion of the meeting was the fact that the district was asking for two bonds, with the concern that voters would only approve the second, smaller proposal instead of the larger one, leaving the district without enough funding to provide critical upgrades at the high school and elementary school buildings.

Given the high number of respondents on the building survey that said they would approve a millage increase of 2.5 or higher, bond committee member Eileen Crouse said she was confident that voters would approve the larger bond proposal in November.

“I would like to think that the citizens are bright enough that they will read into the details, and if they’re only going to vote for one, vote for the first one,” Crouse said.

Prior to the vote, school board President Larry Schmidt commended the committee for their work in crafting a pair of proposals that stayed true to the results of the community survey, as well the fact that the plan could provide funding for full renovations of the district’s oldest buildings.

“There’s only one way to fix the ills of this school district, and that’s to take care of all the buildings,” Schmidt said. “Other than this place [Dowagiac Middle School], we don’t have a building that’s in good repair, we absolutely don’t.”