Voters will decide Saturday on a bond proposition that would pay for a new Patterson Junior High School and a multi-purpose building at Hattie Watts Elementary. The junior high school is shown Thursday.

Patterson school proposal leads Saturday ballot issues

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
 
By JEAN L. KAESS
Patterson area voters will see a tax proposition on the ballot Saturday.
The 5,945 voters eligible for the election will decide the fate of a 15-mill property tax to replace Patterson Junior High and add a multi-purpose building to Hattie Watts Elementary.
Residents from the Calumet Cut to Southwest Boulevard in Bayou Vista will be asked to vote on the tax to support $21 million in bonds to be paid over 20 years.
A taxpayer with property valued at $100,000 will incur an additional $37.50 in property taxes annually under the plan. Homes under $75,000 are exempt.
The junior high is plagued with interior walls separating from exterior walls, cracks in interior and exterior walls, moisture problems and inadequate flooring. Exterior brick cracking results in water hazards, flooding and insect infestations as well as expensive loss of heating and cooling.
In addition, student population growth has surged in the Patterson community, leaving schools without additional classroom space to access in the event of future expansion.
Voting will occur from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and voters need to bring picture identification, according to Registrar of Voters Jolene Holcombe.
Other issues on the ballot include:
—Wax Lake East Drainage District – Proposition (Tax Renewal - 3.2 mill property tax for 10 years). The election includes Precincts 31, 32, parts of 33, 34 and 25 in Berwick and Bayou Vista. Some 10,735 are eligible to vote.
—Gravity Sub-Drainage Dist. No. 1 of the Gravity Drainage Dist. No. 2 – Proposition (Tax Renewal - 9.95 mills property tax for 10 years). The election includes Precinct 31 in Bayou Vista. There are 2,145 registered voters eligible for this election.
—Recreation District No. 1 – Proposition (Millage Renewal - 3 mill property tax for 10 years). The election includes parts of Precincts 46 and 47 in Siracusa and Amelia. Only 813 people are eligible to vote for this proposition.
—Alderman, Town of Baldwin – Special Election. There are 1,506 registered voters for this election.

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