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Mansfield Jr. High Construction Set To Begin July 9

The Blue Ridge School district is about ready for construction to begin on their plan to add on to the Mansfield Junior High School facility.

The district has wrapped up their bid process and Superintendent of Blue Ridge Schools, Susan Wilson explains the bids have come in well under budget. They are under budget by over $200-thousand, leaving the district with a contingency fund of about 10%, or around $600-thousand, which will be reduced to 5% once the construction gets going.

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Because of the downturn of the economy, Wilson explains they have anticipated a competitive bidding environment. She feels that has caused the bids to come in under budget, which has definitely played to their advantage.

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As the plan continues to move forward, Wilson feels the Board of Education has been aggressive in their pursuit to begin construction and make this dream a reality. Currently, the plan is within a week or two of it's original time line.

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Construction is slated to begin on July 9. Contracts are currently being finalized and background checks completed on workers.

The interest rate on the bonds will be over 1% less than projected, and expected to save taxpayers about $1-million in interest payments over the life of the bond issue from what was previously thought.

The bond and interest tax rate from 2012-2034 is estimated to range from 43-44 cents per $100 Equalized Assessed Valuation of Property. This is 5 cents less than projected. On a home valued at about $100,000 this represents a savings of about $15 a year over the previous estimates.

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