BY ELLA BURROWS
Last Tuesday, the Hays USD 489 bond committee hosted an open house at The Venue in Hays featuring booths from nearly every entity involved in the bond process. Participants included Grow Hays, educators, the bond visioning committee, DLR Architecture Firm, Piper Sandler Financing and construction company Nabholz.
Piper Sandler, the investment bank for the bond, provided a more in-depth explanation of the bond financing process throughout the open house, while educators fielded questions from the community.
Doug Williams, executive director of Grow Hays, shared valuable information about the bond’s potential impact on the growth of the city of Hays.
DLR Architecture firm was present at the event with several representatives, including the head architect for the project, as well as Stephanie Meyer, an education funding and community outreach specialist for the firm.
Meyer said the open house gave the community a low-pressure opportunity to learn more about the bond and get any questions answered. Meyer has been a part of several bond attempts in other communities and was impressed by the event’s turnout.
“The attendance at this event reflects the community of Hays very well. I haven’t been counting heads, but I think we had at least 100 people come through in the first 45 minutes,” Meyer said.
Trina Powell, co-chair of the Vote Yes Committee’s subcommittee on voter education, echoed Meyer’s evaluation of the event.
“The goal of this event was to spread community awareness, and I believe the goal was fully met. It’s a great turnout,” Powell said.
Powell credits Chrisy Crough, public relations director for USD 489, for her hard work in organizing the open house and creating the bond webpage.
The community of Hays will vote on the bond issue in just 33 days, and the ballot will feature two questions, one approving the $143.5 bond, and another approving the addition of a 0.5% sales tax to assist in paying for the bond.
Powell said she wanted to share with the community that USD 489 is in desperate need of space, and she encourages everyone to get out and vote on the bond issue.
The USD 489 bond election will be May 10. The deadline to register to vote in the election is April 19, and early voting begins April 25.
For more information regarding the bond, visit https://www.usd489.com/page/usd-489-bond.