Lennox voters approve $17.3M school addition with 74% of vote

LENNOX, S.D. — Voters in the Lennox School District approved a $17.3 million school bond on Tuesday, May 9, with 74% of the vote.

The bond came two decades after the existing school was constructed in 2003, with the capacity to hold about 500 students, and 16 years after an additional wing was built to raise the capacity to 700 students.

With 546 students enrolled this school year, district officials say that adequate classroom space remains, but that the bond focused on reducing the stress of shared-use spaces throughout the building.

Planned improvements for the building include a 900-seat performing arts center, a 500-seat auxiliary gym, a larger weight room, two locker rooms, an activities lobby and a kitchen and cafeteria remodel that would allow for a second serving line.

The district’s $17,260,000 price tag was composed of $8.5 million toward athletic improvements, $8.6 million for the performing arts center and $160,000 for a kitchen remodel.

The bond will add nothing to the $12.3 million bond levy in place since 2003, as that is expected to be paid off by July, and the school board had recommended to adopt a 25-year repayment plan on the new bond.

Construction on the addition is expected to begin in April 2024, with a completion date of May 2025.