MARQUETTE — Administrators at the Mid Peninsula School District in Rock are hoping voters will approve a sinking fund millage for some much-needed upgrades to their school building.

The 2-mill request, if approved, would be assessed against all property in the Mid Peninsula School District in Delta and Marquette counties for a period of 10 years beginning in 2019. Two mills is equivalent to $2 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.

The millage, if passed, would raise about $156,557 in 2019.

The sinking fund will be used for the construction or repair of school buildings as well as security upgrades Superior Central Superintendent Eric Van Damme said.

“With much of the building being original to when it was built in the early 1980s we have some significant maintenance needs,” Van Damme said. “We would upgrade and/or repair all of our heating units and some of the basic repairs that need to be done.”

Van Damme said the school would also use funds to upgrade to energy-efficient lighting.

“It’s all stuff that we as consumers know is cost-savings in the long run, but unfortunately the way that school funding is allocated, those upgrades have not been possible for us,” he said. “Like any other district, we prioritize students in the classroom first. We try to make maximizing every educational dollar our priority.”

He said school officials are grateful for the support of voters over the years.

“I would like to thank our community, who have been extremely supportive of our millage,” Van Damme said.

“I think other times, members of the community may have felt like they did not have enough information, but when I talk to voters about the ‘why’ for this millage, they have said they support it.”

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242.