By a 2-to-1 margin, Platteville Public Schools voters approved the $15 million building referendum April 7.
The proposal to fund $16.6 million in building improvements passed with 1,487 Yes votes and 723 No votes.
The School Board is meeting Monday at 6 p.m. to consider the next steps in the building project. Superintendent Connie Valenza said last week that she hopes for building to begin next fall in portions of the project that wouldn’t require moving students.
The project includes building an addition to Westview Elementary School to move first grade from Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center and fourth grade from Platteville Middle School, plus a new gymnasium. It also involves reconfiguring the vehicle entrance and parking lot.
The project also includes renovating science spaces at Platteville Middle School and Platteville High School, reconfiguring classroom space at Neal Wilkins, and upgrading all four schools’ entrances.
Decisions on the building project and other school district decisions will be made by one new School Board member. Colleen McCabe was the top vote-getter, with 1,065 votes, for the three three-year School Board positions in the April 7 election.
Incumbents Eric Fatzinger, with 1,032 votes, and Steve Obershaw, with 1,017 votes, were reelected. Matt Zielinski finished fourth, with 1,012 votes, followed by Curt Timlin with 823 votes and Jamie Brogley with 571 votes.
Municipal races: Tom Nall was elected to the Platteville Common Council at-large seat over Angie Donovan, 843–490. Nall, a member of the city Plan Commission, will replace retiring Ald. Dick Bonin.
District 3 Ald. Barb Daus and District 4 Ald. Ken Kilian were unopposed on the ballot.
The Town of Platteville will have a new chairman after Tom Weigel defeated incumbent Dale Hood 199–178. Hood was the only incumbent on the ballot to lose. Sups. Rich Lange (195 votes) and Dan Smith (179) were reelected to the board, defeating Roxanne Lyght (152) and Gary Pothour (151). Town clerk Jim Lory was also reelected, defeating Jeni Ginter-Lyght 258–120.
In the Town of Kendall, chairman Micah Bahr was reelected over Donald Schultz, 83–41. Town board incumbents Donald Christensen (92 votes) and Jackie Steffes (70) were reelected, with Joe Flogel (48) third.
Judicial races: Lafayette County corporation counsel Duane Jorgenson was elected to replace retiring Lafayette County Circuit Judge William Johnston. In a rematch of the 2012 Lafayette County district attorney Democratic primary, Jorgenson defeated D.A. Kate Findley, 2,285–1,053.
Grant County Circuit Judge Craig Day was unopposed on the ballot.
State Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley was reelected to her third term, defeating Rock County Circuit Judge James Daley with 58 percent of the statewide race. Bradley won in Grant County 4,360–2,729, in Lafayette County 1,876–1,232, and in Iowa County 2,709–1,214.
The statewide referendum allowing Supreme Court justices to choose the court’s chief justice, instead of having the most senior justice serve as chief justice, passed with 53 percent of the statewide vote. The referendum won in Grant County 4,069–3,182, and in Lafayette County 1,722–1,352, but lost in Iowa County 2,164–1,758.
