Bond issue money won't be enough to build Carthage R-9 performing arts center and baseball field

If you have an extra $750,000 lying around and don't know what to do with it, the Carthage R-9 School District has a suggestion- that's just the amount it takes to have the proposed Carthage High School Performing Arts Center named for you.

R-9 voters will decide a bond issue for the performing arts center and a baseball field on the high school campus in April.

The naming rights money will be necessary since a list of frequently asked questions about the bond issue indicates the money raised by the bond issue will not be enough to pay for both projects.

The bond issue will provide $26,000,000 without raising the tax rate until 2043. However, we do not anticipate $26,000,000 will pay for the Performing Arts Center and the new baseball field on the high school campus. The Performing Arts Center has been considered the primary focus for the bond issue. Eventually, the Board of Education will determine how much money to allocate toward each project once the construction bids are opened.

Therefore, money will have to come from other sources. 

At this point, the district has received $5,470 in donations and $750,000 in pledges for the performing arts center, according to the board documentation. No money had been received for the baseball field at the time the information was compiled.

Thankfully, if you don't happen to have $750,000 available to have the auditorium named after you, there are a lot of other things that can bear your name on both the performing arts center and the baseball field, put together in a list called "Leave Your Mark Naming Opportunities."

You might consider the $250,000 green space, the $25,000 orchestra pit, the $5,000 storage room or if you're strapped, open that change purse and spring for $250 for an auditorium seat.

Baseball field naming opportunities include $300,000 for the stadium itself, $150,00 for the entrance, $10,000 for advertisements on the turf and $200 for individual lockers.

Or you can take a shot at the Wall of Fame by spending $100,000 for a perfect game, $50,000 for a no-hitter, $25,000 for a grand slam, $30,000 for a home run and $5,000 for a golden glove.

A bond issue update is scheduled when the R-9 Board of Education meets 6 p.m. today at Steadley Elementary.