DICKSON – School officials have been meeting with an architectural firm in recent weeks to prepare for what they hope will be the beginning of a major addition to athletic and agricultural facilities for Dickson Comets. But before any ground can be broken, voters within the Dickson Public Schools district must first approve a $12.8 million bond issue.

The proposed bond would pay for a new field house with weight room, wrestling room, locker rooms and offices. The existing agriculture education building would also see an additional 3,200 square feet of shop space under the proposal.

School officials say the latest bond proposal would not result in any tax increases for property owners within the Dickson school district. Board of education members on Monday approved the distribution of information about the bond proposal, three weeks out from the April 2 election date and with spring break later this month.

“These will start going home as well in various forms,” school superintendent Jamie Mitchell told board members on Monday as they reviewed handouts that depict 3D renderings and preliminary floor plans for the agriculture education building and field house.

“Of course the floor plans and some of that kind of stuff will be changed up some, but it certainly shows the general idea of what it is that we’re going after,” Mitchell said.

The largest portion of the proposal is a 14,000-square-foot athletic field house. The approved handout provided by the school and given to board members on Monday shows artist’s renderings that depict the facility near the school’s running track with large windows along the front.

The proposal will also include a 40-foot by 80-foot addition to the north end of the current agricultural education building. The building dates back over 40 years, according to Mitchell.

The $12,815,000 proposal comes almost five years after voters approved a $6.95 million bond issue for new facilities for physical education and early childhood education. That 2019 bond issue was approved in September 2019 and the Dickson Early Childhood Center was completed in 2022.

School bond issues in Oklahoma require 60% of votes to approve in order to pass.

Registered voters within the Dickson Public School district can vote at their local polling precinct on Tuesday, April 2 from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Absentee ballots for the April election must be requested by March 18, and in-person early voting will be held on March 28 and March 29.