Delphi school renovation vote heats up

DELPHI, Ind. (WLFI) - Early voting started today on a referendum for Delphi schools.

Voters are heading to the polls to decide whether to invest $12.5 million to renovate Delphi Junior and Senior High Schools.

The debate about the multi-million dollar renovation of Delphi's Junior and Senior Highs is heating up. High School Principal Barry Stone said the renovation is desperately needed.

Stone says the school is still using the original heating and cooling systems, which causes some issues.

"The last two weeks of school our air conditioning system was down and it takes a long time to get parts because the system is 40 years old," Stone said.

The majority of the rooms do not have windows that can be opened, so there was no way to ventilate many rooms with the air conditioning system down, Stone said. In addition, Stone said that there are issues with temperature control during the winter months.

Delphi Junior Cody Nelson agreed.

"In the winter it will be either super duper hot or extremely cold to where even a sweat shirt won't really help much," he said.

Teachers have had to adopt unorthodox methods to try to control the temperature in their classrooms.

"I've had our custodian put duct tape on my windows because there was a draft coming in. We've got the thick plastic, duct tape around," said Delphi High School teacher Laurie Kinzie.

Stone said another big expense is upgrading the electrical system which he said wasn't meant to provide power to all of today's technological devices, of which the school has many, ranging from projectors and computers to kitchen appliances for consumer and family science classes.

In the consumer and family science classrooms, turning on a microwave at the same time a water heater is on can cause an outage. The teachers have to flip the breaker to restore power.

Other renovations call for an overhaul of the science labs. Stone said the school was not built to easily repair things like the gas lines to run Bunsen burners. He said many parts of the labs have been without them for nearly 17 years.

"The gas doesn't work, the sink leaks, doesn't work, nothing in here is functional as for as the lab," said Stone.

Despite the school board's promise not to raise tax rates, many people disagree with the huge pricetag.

"That's quite a bit of money at one time to borrow," said voter Mary Clifford. "I know the buildings need repair but I think it's quite a bit all at once."

Superintendent Ralph Walker said the referendum has been drastically scaled back from the original $21 million, but with material and construction costs so low, he believes now is the time to move on the project.

Voting on the referendum takes place at Saint Matthew's Lutheran Church at 1301 South Washington Street in Delphi on June 16. The polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. that day.

People can cast their votes early beginning today at the Carroll County Clerks office. Clerk Nancy Mattox says people must bring their photo ID to cast a ballot. Early voting is continues tomorrow and next week on June 11 and 12 during normal business hours.