Hairdressers Judy Broce and Russ Davidson work together and laughingly admit that sometimes they even argue together.

&#8220Anything she's for, I'm against,” he joked.

Or maybe he wasn't joking. They may have sparred on other issues in the past but the bone of contention at the moment is the Ironton School bond issue and tax levy.

Davidson lives in Ironton; Broce doesn't but owns property in the city, so both are being asked to pay for the new schools. She is encouraging people to vote for the levy. Davidson is going to vote against it.

&#8220I'll break his legs if he votes ‘no,'” Broce said with a smile.

&#8220I'll probably have a cast on,” he shot back, grinning.

The school bond issue is one of several questions on the ballot for city voters. It is probably the one getting the most attention. Two camps are encircling this issue, each with differing visions of what the Ironton City Schools should look like in the future. One camp envisions all-new facilities with modern conveniences. The other camp insists Ironton High School can and should be saved and renovated. Ironton voters have been listening. In a couple of weeks, they will decide who is right.

The issue

The proposal that is on the November ballot calls for all new school facilities: A new consolidated elementary school and a middle school that would be built on the site of the existing middle school and a new high school that would be built once the existing building is torn down.

Voters must agree to contribute $18 million. The Ohio School Facilities Commission will then kick in $30.28 million, for a total cost of $48.28 million. The $18 million local share includes $6.79 million for extras that the facilities commission will not pay for. On that list are a 600-seat auditorium at the high school, facade upgrades to give the new high school some of the finer touches of the existing building, an enclosure for the Conley Center and additional classrooms and physical education space at the elementary school.

The amount each family would pay if the bond issue and levy passes is based on the assessed tax value of their house, which is 35 percent of the appraised value. For instance, a property owner whose house has an appraised value of $40,000 has a tax value of $14,000, and would be charged $107 annually. A property owner whose house is appraised at $70,000, and has a tax value of $24,500, would pay $187 annually.

Those who want new schools maintain the existing ones are old and obsolete. They can tick off a laundry list of problems that crept into those buildings with age and useage: Faulty plumbing, decrepit heating and air conditioning, classrooms that are too small and do not meet state standards, cracked plaster walls, leaking roofs and electrical wiring that was installed before the days of computers.

But those who want to save the high school say that building is a historic and architectural centerpiece that was built in the days when buildings were meant to last for centuries, not decades.

They say its charm and many of its amenities can't be duplicated in a new building. They say school officials have not adequately explored what it would cost to renovate the building in their rush to get a levy on the ballot.

What the people say

&#8220I'm for it,” John McCabe said when asked about the levy. &#8220I don't have kids in school any longer but all children deserve a good place to go to school.”

The cost of new school is something McCabe said he &#8220definitely” thought about, but in the end, decided the outcome was worth the outlay. &#8220You can't have progress unless you make an investment,” he said. &#8220If we have good schools maybe we'll have more people move here to attend those new schools. To me, it's just worth it.”

Randy Hicks will vote for the levy, too, although he admits he does not own property and will therefore not be paying the bill for the new facilities.

&#8220The Ironton City Schools are the most important thing left in this town,” he said. &#8220People who don't support it are rich people who don't support nothing.”

McCabe said he likes the appearance of the old high school and wonders if the front of it can be saved and a new school built behind it.

Charles Cremeans said he is still trying to decide which way he will vote next month. One of his major concerns is what a bond issue will do to his pocket book.

&#8220I'm getting close to retirement and I don't know if I can afford all these bills and fees. With all the city fees, I'm already paying $25 in fees on my water bill,” he said.

He said the cost of the school construction worries most of the people he's heard discuss the levy. Others said they wished the high school could be saved.

&#8220I don't think any of them are in such bad shape they need to be torn down,” he said. &#8220They were built back when buildings were built right. Š That high school is 80 years old. These new schools have a life expectancy of (40) years.”

That sentiment was echoed in part by Chad Walden, who got his diploma from IHS in 1995. Walden said he understands the need for a new elementary and middle school, but the high school is a different matter altogether.

&#8220There is so much tradition in it,” he said. &#8220Look at that building. It's been standing there 80 years. It needs repairs, there are problems inside, but it doesn't look like it's going to fall down.”

Walden wants to see those repairs made.

&#8220I know they say ‘well look at Portsmouth and the new school there' or ‘look at Jackson' but the funding regulations have changed since they got their money. I don't want to wind up with a school that looks like a Wal-Mart, some building with no personality, a cookie cutter building.”

He pointed to the renovation made to the old Campbell School, which is now home to Lawrence County Department of Jobs and Family Services.

&#8220That's a beautiful building. It has new heating, air conditioning. They talk about the smell at the high school. Well, who is to say if they bulldozed (the existing high school) the smell wouldn't still be there?”

Walden said another example of what can be done with an old building is the old high school in Jackson. When the community there opted to build a new high school, they chose to save the old one and renovate it for use as a middle school.

William Cremeans graduated from IHS in May and also knows first hand both the good and the bad of the building. While he would like to see the old building saved, he said he will vote for the levy to build a new one. He said his years at IHS were a &#8220great experience” but realizes something needs to be done.

&#8220They're (existing schools) are outdated.

At the high school, the heating is bad, it smells awful”

Cremeans said it would be nice if the old building could be saved. &#8220If they could just fix everything, redo the wiring, renovate everything, fix the sewer system to where there is no smell, if they could just update everything,” he said.

Cremeans said his parents, who are property owners, are still trying to decide whether they will turn thumbs up or down for the levy. Some of the money that will pay for those new schools will come out of their pocket and this is a big consideration for them, he said.

George Pringle sent three kids through the system a couple decades ago. He knows what the city buildings are like. Now that he has a new baby he has a renewed interest in the school system. He would like to have this young Braxton attending new buildings. He will vote for the levy.

&#8220A lot of things need to be replaced. The gym, for one thing, and they keep talking about the plumbing, and holes in the walls,” he said.

The bond levy is &#8220a big topic” among people Pringle knows. He said right now it seems the two sides of the issue are running neck and neck.

As for Davidson and Broce, both agreed the bond issue is a hot topic, but that's about all they agree on. Davidson said most of the people he's talked to want to keep IHS. This is something Broce can not understand.

&#8220Go up and look at the school,” she said. &#8220Look underneath it. It's crumbling. Yes, It's a beautiful landmark but it is old, it doesn't have the proper equipment. You can't stand in the way of progress.”

Davidson disagreed.

&#8220They're tearing down half of Ironton now, &#8220 he said. &#8220It's time they stop tearing down and try to fix some of them up.”

Broce has hung up an artist's drawing of what the new high school could be like and a paper that details plans for the new facilities, in full view of customers.

&#8220People are too sentimental,” she said. &#8220They want to keep that old building. They don't realize you can educate kids in a new building. I graduated from Barboursville (W.Va.) High School. They closed it when they built Cabell Midland and everybody's doing fine. I have grandkids in the schools here and in Cabell Midland. Now there's a school they ought to be touring. They need to take a trip up there and look at that school.” It's time for some upgrading.”

&#8220A new building doesn't mean a better education,” Davidson countered. &#8220You're just talking about a building.”

&#8220The campus makes the school,” she said. &#8220And the campus here is the most beautiful of any school anywhere. But you can put a new school right there and it's going to look just as good.”

Voters will have to decide for themselves Nov. 8.

Teresa Moore is a reporter for The Ironton Tribune. She can be reached at (740) 532-1441, or at teresa.moore@irontontribune.com.