Litchfield Public Schools committed to LARC completion
Since the city of Litchfield’s funding plan for the Litchfield Area Recreation Center was approved by voters in November 2022, there has been a renewed community interest in seeking voter approval on funding the school district’s portion of the plan.
The school district has been engaging with community members about what this plan would bring to the Litchfield area, its residents, and our students. These conversations have resulted in a decision by the Litchfield School District to seek voter approval on a bond referendum to fund the school district’s portion of the area recreation and wellness center. I wanted to take a moment to provide an overview of what will be on the ballot on Tuesday, May 9.
The school district is requesting voter permission to issue $13.99 million in bonds to fund its portion of this multi-purpose facility. Our current facilities cannot support activities and competitions our residents would like to bring to the area. This funding would provide an eight-lane pool, eight new tennis courts, two new ball fields for baseball and softball, new locker rooms, office and community space, and various site improvements that include additional parking lots and site development work associated with a new facility.
This plan has been years in the making. The city of Litchfield and Litchfield Public Schools have been exploring options for an area recreation and wellness center since 2016. Based on community feedback, the city and school district chose to collaborate on a joint effort with each funding a portion of the plan. This requires the city and school district to each pass a public referendum.
Litchfield-area voters approved the city’s portion of the funding plan in November, but the school district’s bond referendum was narrowly defeated. Both the city and Litchfield Public Schools are committed to completing this plan and providing these resources and amenities to residents of all ages in the greater Litchfield area.
If the school district’s bond referendum is approved, the owner of a residential property valued at $170,000 in the district would see an estimated property tax impact of about $6 per month starting in 2024. For agricultural landowners, the State of Minnesota’s Ag2School program would provide a 70% property tax credit that would fund approximately 18% of the facility’s cost.
Very few school districts and cities have collaborated on public projects like the Litchfield Area Recreation Center. The decision for the city and school district to collaborate on this project was based on insight from the community. Likewise, whether to move forward with the school district’s portion of the plan is up to local residents. We are excited to be putting our plan to meet the needs of our community, area residents and our students in front of voters.
More details about this plan, the cost, the tax impact, and how to cast your ballot are available at the project website, CommittedToCompletion.org. School district leaders are looking forward to further engaging with the community and providing information about this project. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 320-894-4098 or bsimenson@isd465.org.
Superintendent Beckie Simenson
Litchfield Public Schools
