GROUND-BREAKING IS SUNDAY FOR PERRYVILLE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS

PERRYVILLE -- Work on a $4 million building project for the Perryville School District begins with a ground-breaking ceremony Sunday.

The observance, planned at 2 p.m. at the Senior High School Commons, kicks off construction of 56,000 square feet in additions, plus remodeling planned for the school district's three buildings.

The Perryville Board of Education Thursday accepted a low bid of $3.71 million from Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson. The projected completion date is July 1994, said Paul Turner, assistant superintendent.

"We're growing," Turner said. "With more children we need more classroom space. This also will allow us to reduce some class sizes, especially at the elementary level."

Turner said the district has suffered with a lack of cafeteria space for years and improvements are needed for handicap accessibility.

Turner said the project includes work at all three district buildings.

At the elementary building, a new multipurpose building and classrooms will be constructed. Remodeling is planned for a new library at the school.

At the middle school, new classrooms are being built and the office area is being remodeled.

At the high school new classrooms, including science labs, will be constructed.

A new cafeteria is being built for both the high school and the middle school and a new kitchen will be located between the cafeterias.

In addition, a number of changes are in the plans to help the district comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, requiring handicap accessibility.

Turner said two elevators are among improvements planned.

In February, voters approved a tax issue moving tax funds from debt to the building fund.

The February vote was the third time school officials had asked taxpayers to fund building increases. Voters turned down the first two proposals.

To make the issue more palatable to voters, school officials figured a way to restructure the issue so no tax increase was needed.

Perryville's tax rate of $2.61 per $100 assessed valuation will remain the same. The portion of that tax that had been used to retire the district's debt has been shifted to the building fund.

Turner explained that the district's debt is nearly paid.

"We also reduced the cost of some of the work we were going to do," he said.

The building project is being funded through a lease-purchase plan, but Turner said it will be paid like a bond issue over 20 years.