EHOVE seeks Nov. bond issue

MILAN TWP. — At a public board meeting, EHOVE Career Center's board of education recently approved the placement of a bond issue for November's ballot. This marks the first time since 2017 that EHOVE asked voters to approve any issues during local elections. Back then, voters approved a continuing levy for permanent improvements specifically for building upkeep. A bond issue for EHOVE, however, hasn't been approved by voters since 1966, which marked the beginning for this career center where hundreds of students from Erie, Huron and Ottawa counties attend. "A permanent improvement levy can be used on any property, asset or improvement with an estimated life or usefulness of five years or more," Tim Coffman, EHOVE's treasurer, said. A permanent improvement "levy cannot be used for day-to-day operating expenses such as salaries and supplies. Our current 0.5-mill permanent improvement levy is not sufficient to make the upgrades recommended by the facilities planning committee." For this November's election, area voters will see a new 36-year, 2.2-mill bond issue which, if approved, would generate $210 million over its life. The maximum time the bond would be in place is 36 years. The owner of a $100,000 home within the career center's attendance boundaries — many areas within Erie, Huron and Ottawa counties — can expect to pay about $77 annually. This includes Bellevue, Danbury, Edison, Huron, Kelleys Island, Margaretta, Monroeville, New London, Norwalk, Perkins, South Central, Vermilion and Western Reserve school districts. EHOVE, located on West Mason Road in the Milan area, prepares the future workforce for in-demand careers through skilled hands-on education, according to information provided by the career center. It also gets students ready for college, careers and other jobs. EHOVE offers high school and adult education programming, providing hands-on training in medical, business, public safety, skilled trades, transportation and service careers. Bond specifics The bond issue is on the ballot to fund the career center's facilities improvement plan. Any money raised by the bond issue would be used toward upgrades at EHOVE's West Mason Road facility, which includes planned additions, renovations, furnishings and equipment upgrades. The majority of the EHOVE campus features structures, electrical installations and water and sewer lines from the facility's original construction in the 1960s. "EHOVE is a community asset and the decision to progress with our facilities improvements lies in the hands of our community members," career center superintendent Chris McCully said. EHOVE worked with the Ohio Facility Construction Commission and Architectural Vision Group, determining what the career center needs to better serve the community. The ultimate goal aims to improve buildings and add programs so students attending there can be prepared for the demands of a 21st-century economy and job market, according to findings from the Ohio Facility Construction Commission and Architectural Vision Group. On a career center webpage detailing the facilities plan, EHOVE noted the following: • Several sections will be more expensive to repair than to rebuild. • The design of several original buildings did not provide adequate space to learn the skills needed for today's students. • Safety would be improved by connecting buildings rather than having several standalone structures. Speaking up McCully clued the public on the process for the career center's board going forward with a bond issue: • The input: "EHOVE assembled a facilities planning committee, formed of key stakeholders from the community to evaluate ways EHOVE can continue to meet community and area business and industry needs, now and in the future." • The categories: "The committee focused on the following categories: infrastructure, lab/equipment, business and community and safety. Through this process, the committee identified the need to expand EHOVE programs and address EHOVE's aging infrastructure, creating the facilities improvement plan as a plan to address these needs." • The promise: "If approved by voters, funds generated by the bond issue would be used to implement the recommendations included in the facilities improvement plan." • The other outcome: If the bond issue does not pass, then EHOVE will not have funding for the recommended additions and renovations suggested by the facilities planning committee. Instead, the career center will re-evaluate plans to address the aging infrastructure needs.