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CEDAR BLUFFS, Neb. (AP) — A partnership agency formed by the village of Cedar Bluffs and the local school district hopes to break ground this spring on a new vocational center that will be the first of several community projects.
The $600,000 center will be located where an old bus barn stands just north of the school in the Saunders County town of around 600 residents, and it could be finished by fall.
"We want (it) to be a place where kids cannot only get their high school diploma, but also can get something like a trade certificate," Cedar Bluffs Public Schools Superintendent Harlan Ptomey said. Course possibilities include welding, electronics and automotive technologies.
Students could earn dual credit under an agreement with Southeast Community College, according to the Fremont Tribune (http://bit.ly/1wury4e ).
The project will be paid for through the Joint Public Agency, which was created nearly a year ago by the town and the school district. The agency uses taxing authority through the school district and sells bonds to fund community and school projects. In mid-January $3.1 million in bonds were issued, but Ptomey said taxpayers won't see any increase in their bills.
"It's tax neutral, or even tax-less, because we're dropping the (school) tax rate as we're doing this," he said.
In addition to the vocational center, the joint agency's community projects might include a wellness center; a new structure at the ballpark that would include concession stands, restrooms and a storm shelter; or possibly a splash pad.
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Information from: Fremont Tribune, http://www.fremontneb.com
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