Substitute teacher Cindy DeHaven works with Kelli Tanzi's fourth-grade class in the computer lab at Dayton Elementary School on Friday. Lyon County School officials are prioritizing repairs and maintenance needs for schools. Cathleen Allison/ Nevada Appeal
The Lyon County School Board has put together a to-do list - what to do with $826,912 from the county's first-year collection of construction taxes.
The tax, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2006, creates a $1,600 tax on new single-family homes, apartment units or mobile home lots.
"There are some goals set aside for it," said Wade Johnson, comptroller for the school district. "The board came up with priority projects."
Special accounts were set up so that taxes raised from Dayton buildings stayed in Dayton, funds from Fernley construction stayed in Fernley, and so on, Johnson said.
Most funds are planned to be spent on repair and maintenance of school infrastructure, but no jobs have been awarded, he said. The work will be done over the next five years.
"It is sitting there," he said. "Sometimes construction projects are tough to do when school is in session, and for some things, you have to wait until funds accumulate."
Johnson said work on some of the projects could begin in the spring.
For example, in Dayton, the board plans to use construction tax funds to improve sidewalks, parking lots and lighting outside the Dayton Elementary and Dayton Intermediate schools.
Projects in Fernley include upgrading the power in the vocational shop and the science lab at the Fernley High School as well as in the Harry Potter wing at the Fernley Elementary School, and improving the locker rooms at the Fernley Intermediate School.
Johnson said sometimes maintenance of existing schools gets overlooked when plans are in place to construct new schools, and this tax will help rectify that.
• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.
Planned improvements
Dayton
Project Fiscal Year Cost
Dayton Elementary lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2007 $300,000
Dayton Intermediate lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2008 $200,000
Dayton High lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2008 $250,000
Sutro Elementary lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2009 $300,000
Dayton High School science lab remodel 2009 $50,000
Fernley
Project Fiscal Year Cost
Fernley High vocational shop power upgrade 2007 $100,000
Fernley Elementary Harry Potter room power upgrade 2007 $100,000
Fernley Intermediate locker room upgrade 2007 $80,000
Fernley Intermediate science lab remodel 2008 $150,000
Cottonwood Elementary lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2008 $175,000
Fernley Elementary lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2009 $150,000
Fernley High lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2010 $200,000
Silver Springs/Stagecoach
Project Fiscal Year Cost
Silver Springs Elementary lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2009 $300,000
Silver Stage Middle lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2009 $300,000
Yerington
Project Fiscal Year Cost
Remodel Yerington High art rooms into science labs 2008 $100,000
Yerington Intermediate power upgrade 2008 $100,000
Yerington High lights, sidewalk and parking lot repair 2011 $150,000
Smith Valley
Project Fiscal Year Cost
Remodel old library to science labs 2008 $100,000
Water line replacement 2010 $100,000