On November 7th, voters will see a 1.43 mils bond/levy on the ballot

10/02/2017

What started almost 50 years ago as the Montgomery County JVS has transformed into the Miami Valley Career Technology Center (MVCTC). While the name has changed, the mission remains the same. We are dedicated to providing training for in-demand jobs and college-readiness skills for high school and adult students across Darke, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Warren Counties.

On November 7th, voters will see a 1.43 mils bond/levy on the ballot to improve safety for students and modernize the facilities and equipment at MVCTC. The request is equal to $4.17/month for the owner of a $100,000 house. After 10 years, this amount drops to 1.09 mils or $3.18/month.

MVCTC qualified for the state to pay 47% of the co-fundable portion of this project.

The passage of the November 7th bond/levy would:

• Improve safety for students

• Offer more students the opportunity for in-demand career-technical training

• Update nearly 50-year old facilities and building infrastructure

• Provide business and industry equivalent labs, technology, and equipment

This bond/levy will provide the facilities and equipment needed to train the next generation of skilled professionals and help overcome the skills gap in our region.

Why is the bond/levy needed?

The MVCTC has not requested any separate facility money since the district was built in 1968-1970.

Brick peeling

Exterior failure

Outdated electrical equipment that replacement parts are no longer available

Facility Issues - Summer 2017 Water Main Break

We have all seen the news stories about a water main break – they always occur at some major intersection right at rush hour!   Traffic is tied up. Business is lost, millions of gallons of water wasted, and thousands upon thousands of dollars spent repairing the damage.   Our underground utilities are constantly under attack from corrosion, and in some instances failures are a combination of corrosion and external forces. At MVCTC, we recently experienced a water main failure that was solely the result of corrosion and cost over $40,000 to repair.

Corrosive metal loss of the water line caused the pipe to fail from the outside to the inside as the wall got thinner and thinner and eventually failed due to the pressure of the water in the pipe. This destruction of the water line occurred over time based upon the nature of the soil that surrounded it. The pipes at MVCTC have been in the ground for 50 years and the pipes buried underground are in similar condition to the one that failed outside the West Building. This same scenario could and eventually will take place elsewhere on campus.

We were fortunate that the water main failure took place about a week before school started. If this break had occurred only a couple of weeks later, we would have had to close schools for a least a week. In reality, it would have been two weeks as the system needs to be chlorinated and test results returned showing that it is safe prior to people being able to prepare food and drink the water. The costs of a break during the school year will be far greater. We are currently on borrowed time with the underground water lines on campus.

Fall 2017 COMPRESSOR FAILURE - UNIT INSTALLED 1982

This is a condensing unit that supplies air conditioning to several classrooms and the office space within the East Building. This system, which was installed in 1982, is similar to what you have in your home, only industrial size. The unit runs on old R22 refrigerant and this is problematic when attempting to make repairs to the system as this refrigerant is no longer manufactured. We have continued to limp along replacing parts as needed on this and other similar age units supplying cooling and heat to the East Building. We were hoping this unit would last, with minor repairs, until it could be replaced with the passage of the bond/levy issue and we would not have to throw good money after bad. No such luck. We will now be spending around $20,000 for a replacement compressor as a temporary fix. The replacement of the units on the East Building alone will be in the $400,000 range. If the bond/levy issue does not pass, local dollars will be needed to pay 100% of this cost and the millions of dollars in other repairs needed. If the bond/levy issues passes, the state will pay 47% of the cost of the new air handling equipment. Also keep in mind that all funds raised by the bond/levy issue will go directly into building and equipment improvements.

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