The final step has been taken to place a bond issue on the ballot to fund a new Bowling Green High School.

At a special meeting Friday, the district’s board of education approved certifying the $72.8 million issue to the Wood County Board of Elections.

The issue will be on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The millage has been set at 5.55 and the issue will cost $184 annually for the owner of a home with an appraised value of $100,000, said Treasurer Cathy Schuller.

That is slightly less than the previous estimate and amounts to $15.34 a month.

Drawings and mock-ups — including what the building will look like and how it will be used — will be shared as well as financial information. According to documents previously approved by the board, DLR should have a rendering by the end of August with a presentation to the community in September.

DLR Group Inc. was hired to lead the facilities master plan project.

Everyone will have access to what the building will look like, how the space will be used and how students are going to benefit from the new space, said board President Ryan Myers.

He said there was a facility meeting Thursday and they are on track to meet their deadlines.

“It’s a lot of good conversation at this point, talking about concepts,” Myers said.

The building will be about 150,000 square feet and the committee is working on how to maneuver the spaces into what is needed, he said.

Myers said the local group is taking ideas to the DLR representatives, including green-energy usage, and the architects are being very responsive.

DLR is investigating green-energy costs and tax benefits and will present their findings, Myers aid.

Ted Haselman, who will start as superintendent Aug. 1, said he has been spending a lot of time building relationships with community members, learning why people support and oppose the bond issue.

There are a lot of positives out there and a number of people who are pushing support of the issue, Haselman said

He’s also heard negatives.

“You always hear concerns and I’m listening to those concerns,” Haselman said. “We’re asking hard-working folks to walk into a ballot box and hit yes and self-impose a tax. That’s hard.”

The local level is the only place where citizens can dictate their local taxes, he added.

“It’s real quick between now and November, so what I’m trying to do is meet and talk with as many people as I possibly can to start to build that trust,” he said. “I’m hoping to get the trust of the community.”

The need for new facilities is great, he said.

Tours of the high school were done in the past, but Haselman said that virtual tours may be more accessible.

A $70 million bond request for a new high school that was split 70% property tax and 30% income tax failed in November.

This new 30-year tax will be paid through just property tax.

Dating back to 2017, two previous attempts to fund a new academic wing, gym and cafeteria at the high school have failed. That project was tied to a request for one consolidate elementary school.

A third request, solely for one consolidated elementary, lost by 32 votes in November 2019.